#I'm going to be very normal about this show

[lyxchen]

Okay so I've heard this said a bunch of times and I'm gonna admit I thought like that too for a while but no, Gi-hun did not win the games because he was lucky. A lot of people think that's how he won because he never killed anybody but that's really not the point. Gi-hun won the games because a) he's smart and is able to look at things from a different angle, b) because he is a good and kind person who also believes in others and c) because of the goodness and care get got back from other people.

In the first game he survived because Ali saved him and that wasn't luck, that was Ali being a good person and helping somebody not get killed. Ali could've not caught him, let him die, he didn't even know Gi-hun at all at that point and he put himself in more danger too by having to hold on to a person while standing completely still but he still saved Gi-hun because Ali is a good person.

In the Dalgona game he quite literally Was Not Lucky. He decided to go with the umbrella which is the worst shape to pick and he probably would have died if he hadn't looked at the game in a different way and decided to change his strategy. Gi-hun is smart. He is also optimistic and so he tried something new and found a different way to beat that game.

In the third game he survived because he was smart and kind enough to listen to Il-nam. The other people in their group dismissed him as just an old man speaking but Gi-hun didn't and that way they had a good strategy to beat the other team. The same goes for him listening to Sang-woo's idea of running three steps and then stopping, which ultimately was what saved them. His group also chose him as their leader (who, as Il-nam said, needs to not seem weak or loose hope because then the whole team is doomed). His team trusted in him and his optimism and they were right to do so.

In the marbles game he won because he was once again kind and decided to team up with Il-nam and also because in the end Il-nam decided to "sacrifice himself" for Gi-hun because he showed him kindness before. Yes Il-nam didn't actually die but he also knew that Gi-hun had cheated and still let him continue on to the next game, probably because Gi-hun had been good and kind and caring towards him before, even though he really didn't have to be. Gi-hun also didn't know this but by teaming up with Il-nam he inadvertently ensured that Il-nam had a lot more fun in the games than he would have had, had everybody just ignored to "old, fragile man". Gi-hun was good to Il-nam throughout all the games and it ended up saving him in the marbles game.

In the fifth game it's only some small moments as Gi-hun isn't really involved in the game because he's the last number but still it wasn't just luck. First of all he was kind enough to give the number 1 to the player that asked him for it. Yes, that number was bad but he didn't know that and had he been selfish enough to say no to that other player he wouldn't have survived. Being the last to play in any game can end up being bad for you, still he decided to give up the number he picked because the other player asked him to. Secondly he also survived that game because Sae-byeok was kind enough to remind him of which glass tile to step on after he had forgotten which one it was. It's only small but she didn't have to tell him and still she did. Sae-byeok btw is also good to him because before that he was good to her and protected her (even though he was angry at her at first) and that way he was able to gain her trust.

Lastly he won the Squid Game because Gi-hun was kind to Sang-woo and because Sang-woo deep down was still a good person. There were probably many reasons as to why Sang-woo decided to kill himself in the end but part of it, I'm sure, was also because Gi-hun was a good friend to him. I mean Gi-hun was even willing to give up all the money and go back home with nothing gained if it meant that Sang-woo didn't have to die and would be able to come home with him. Gi-hun deserved that win and that money and in the end Sang-woo knew that. He also knew that Gi-hun would make sure to take care of Sang-woo's mother and that he wouldn't just take all the money for himself because Sang-woo knew that Gi-hun is a good person. (Gi-hun technically also won the Squid Game because he was good at it which is also him being smart)

So in conclusion and I hope y'all haven't stopped reading yet: Gi-hun didn't win the games because he was lucky. He didn't just sit around doing nothing and won anyways. He won because he was smart but even more importantly he won because of the kindness and goodness that exists in humans and that is especially present in him. He won because he had empathy, because people trusted him, because he got back from them what he gave to them first. He never killed anyone and we can clearly see that he Could Never kill anyone in those games but that's not his weakness. Just because he didn't let himself get corrupted and turned into what the games wanted him to turn into doesn't mean he won because of luck. Him not playing by those subtle, hidden rules that are made to force him to be bad, to not care about others and to give up his kindness actually means he was better than the games. He won because he didn't let them turn him into a monster. They tried really hard and they failed and that's how he won!! But also on top of that he also won because he isn't the only good person in this show. He also won because other people helped him, were kind to him and gave a shit about him. Each and every person that helped Gi-hun didn't have to do that. They all could have not helped him, Ali could have not caught him, Sae-byeok could have not told him which one was the correct glass tile, hell, she could have Lied to him about it and the only difference it would have made for the other players would have been them being one more dead person closer to winning all that money. But that's really not how humans are and act which is why all these people helped Gi-hun, helped each other in small or big ways and in the end his own kindness and the kindness that exists in other people is what lead to Gi-hun winning. That's not luck. That humans being good

[lily-jaxk]

MC Twin AU - CALEB'S Spitfire [2]

Caleb was weird.

Not weird as in 'I wanna lock you away from the world.' you actually found that very normal and very, very hot. What the said about you meant nothing, there was a reason you picked him out of all the other options.

No, Caleb was acting weird because he was focusing on you. He had apparently asked for your number from MC, which she had gladly given him, and you had woken up to the sight of an unknown number sending you a good morning text.

"Rise and shine spitfire! You gotta get to work soon 🫵"

You had blinked, then pinched your cheek just to make sure you weren't hallucinating. Seeing that it hurt a lot, you were clearly awake.

"Um, Caleb?"

"😉 One and only"

"Well technically there are many other Caleb's in the world ya know"

" :( well the only Caleb who's food you enjoy a lot"

". . . . damm"

"lol why did you do the ...?"

"dramatic effect. anywho how did you get my number?"

"MC gave me. Now! I'll talk to you later 🫵Get ready for work!"

Caleb was weird because on a sunny Friday afternoon, right after your dentist appointment, you found him leaning against your car scrolling on his phone. You had paused, stared at him, then let out a long sigh. It was best to not dwell on how he knew where you were. Normally you would have said MC told him, but you hadn't told her that your appointment was today.

So yeah. Caleb was weird.

As you approached him, he finally looked up and gave you a wide smile that made your heart flutter. "Hey there spitfire!" He greeted, placing his phone in his pocket and straightening up.

You raise a brow and cross your arms over your chest. "Are you here to steal my car?"

"Precisely." He bobbed your nose making you let out a squawk of bafflement. "MC needs to be picked up and I unfortunately have my car in the shop, soo I was wondering if I could use yours?"

You tap your foot on the pavement. "And how did you know where I was?"

Caleb blinks and brings out his phone, turning it around to show you the screen. "You posted it on your Moments."

. . . . Ah. You did. A long sigh leaves your lips and you turn to walk to the driver's seat. "Get in. And in return, you're getting me mochi."

"Roger that!"

Caleb was weird, because he invited you out once to play Kitty Cards together. No MC, no other friends, just you and him.

You narrow your eyes at him over the rim of your cards, and he smiles innocently at you. "You knowww, I can give you some of my cards-"

"I'll bite you!"

"Ohhh kink-"

"Caleb!"

He laughs, purple eyes sparkling with mirth, and your heart flutters, making you duck your head to hide your blush. No, no you couldn't feel anything for him. This was wrong!

You weren't MC. You weren't the girl that helped him in the labs, and you weren't the girl he dedicated his entire existence for.

You were simply. . . . You.

Caleb was weird, because even when you started to try and distance yourself from him, he kept bothering you. Even when you ignored his calls, ran away with an excuse whenever he was with MC, pretended he didn't exist and hid when you saw him in the wild, he still didn't let you go.

Everywhere you went, he knew.

At MC? He knew.

At work? He knew.

Watching movies at home? He sent you reminders to go to bed early.

At work? Somehow food delivery is being sent to your office.

Caleb was weird.

"I'm not her you know." You tell him after months of ignoring him, months of him chasing you, lurking behind you like a shadow. "We might look identical, but I'm not, and will never be her."

Why couldn't he get it through his thick skull! You weren't MC, you were You!

Caleb was weird, because he simply smiled and dragged you into a hug, placing his chin on the top of your head. "Of course you're not MC." He said with ease. "You're my little spitfire, and I couldn't have it any other way."

Your face grew beet red, and your heart pounded loudly in your ears. Caleb was so fucking weird, because he called you his.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

[katiascraft]

- chapter six - and there was happiness  because of you too, right?

✐ᝰ "You knew all too well i was right where you left me" | CL16 ࣪𓏲ּ ᥫ᭡ ₊

parings: retired!charles leclerc x writer!ex!reader

summary: carlos confronted y/n in front of charles in the worst way possible. but fortunately (or unfortunately) he made what needed to be done to put the two together "by (twisted) fate".

series masterlist

BLOG MASTERLIST

Charles was scared and worried when he saw your light turning on by the minute. His eyes wanting to leave his face when he saw you in your marvel pajamas again. Your hair was a mess and your face had the darkest circles under your eyes. Your face puffy as if you were crying or you did before you went to sleep and then they woke you up. He felt as guilty as when he realized he left the love of his life stuck in that fucking restaurant you both loved so much. 

His heart was racing in a way he hadn’t felt for so long. He got scared it was about to have a panic attack in front of your house. In front of you, showing how weak he still is for you but like in a very twisted way. Carlos’ voice got him out of his mind abruptly. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you bitch? Huh? Stop torturing my friend!” Carlos said aggressively to you when you opened the front door of your white and pastel green beach house you owned. 

If you thought your day couldn’t get worse, then you were oh so wrong. 

There he was. Standing and cheeks red. His face showed panic. You could feel he was scared by the way his eyes went bigger listening to what his friends had said. Carlos’ face was a work of art. Rage all over his face. His body language was violent. He hated you so much, it was visible. Palpable. Evident. Heartbreaking too. 

Your whole face just hurt. Tears irritated your skin so you looked red. And you were sure you looked terrible. Whole face was swollen and puffy. You felt more depressed in that instant. There so vulnerable in front of two men. And one of them being the love of your life. Or… your past love of your life? You weren’t sure at all after last weekend where you touched and have seen franco in a different light. Your heart still heavy about it and how you treated him. You hated yourself so much. You just couldn’t believe you could make yourself be even more miserable. 

 But you had to stand up for yourself because you were also confused by what Carlos just said. 

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about carlos. And i don’t know what charles told you but we didn’t even talk… and i don't even know why the hell i'm giving you an explanation you don't deserve” frustration was visible in the way you voice sounds deeper than normal. Different from what he heard at the ice cream shop and the way you talked to him. And also your smile was gone. Like every time he appears in your life. Because he only brings you pain. And nightmares. Or at least that’s what he thought. 

“Um, y/n I'm really sorry, really” Charles said, panicked and then turned over to Carlos “c’mon mate, let’s go. Don’t do this. There’s no need, you know?” He grabbed carlos’ wrist and pulled him a bit away. But Carlos was looking straight at you. Hate was converting him into the devil. 

“Don’t play the fool, darling. You know what I'm talking about. You love to make him feel miserable by the mistake he committed! You’re evil! Twisted! Stay away from him!” Carlos was out of control. Charles shook his head not knowing what to do. He looked at you ashamed that he even blushed. Seeing him like that broke your heart. You swallowed hard and just so fed up with everything and anything related to Charles and the bagage of your story, you closed the door on their faces, determined to go to bed and cry. You closed your eyes for a second because your head was pounding. All you could see were his eyes.

But you just couldn’t be like that for long because Carlos started knocking on your door and telling you to open the door right away. You could hear Charles telling him to calm down desperately and telling him to go home. But Carlos was so drunk he couldn’t even think straight. You could hear it in his voice. You sighed not knowing what to do. 

But then silence took all over the place like they were never there. And that’s when after a few seconds you hear deep breathing.

“Just please Carlos, let’s go home” charles’ voice was broken and after hearing him talk you could hear him sobbing. Carlos was silent. Your heart started racing. 

It didn’t feel right  so you opened the door. 

They looked at you. Charles was a wreck. Carlos seemed calmed but worried. He was holding charles’ arm. 

“I’m sorry mate” Carlos finally said.

“Charles, you wanna come in? For a glass of water” you finally spoke out loud without thinking. Like you kinda surprised yourself. Charles looked up at you a bit confused but then he nodded. You gave him a soft smile. And awkward too. 

This whole situation was weird. 

Carlos was about to say something but you interrupted him “you’re not invited. Sorry not sorry” you told him and snapped the door on his face. Asshole. He didn’t even know you and that’s his presentation card? But he knew my name. That must be charles’ work. This is insane though. You turned away from the door to find Charles awkwardly standing there in the middle of your living room waiting for instructions or permission. 

“Sorry” you said softly but he shook his head gently. 

“No problem, it’s okay. He sometimes is an asshole” he explained more calmly than a few seconds ago. 

“Feel at home” you finally said after a few seconds of just looking at each other. It felt strange yet nice to have him in your place. “Take a seat i’ll go for a glass of water” you said to go running to the kitchen to say so. 

Charles looked around. There were a lot of frames of your nephews almost everywhere. He sat on your couch. It was really comfy and soft. Your perfume was everywhere and it was the same perfume you used back in the day. For a moment he felt safe and that weirded himself out a bit. He is supposed to hate you, right? He tried to wipe his face dry. He felt ridiculous there in his ex’ house again after so many years. He knew all too well he shouldn’t be here. But he wanted to. 

He heard how you took a glass from the counter and poured water straight into it from the sink. He played with his fingers nervously waiting for you to come back. He was trying to think straight because he was really drunk as well. Although he was hoping you didn’t notice, it was probably obvious. 

“Here you are,” you said softly, handing him the glass that he took gently. A tiny smile appeared on his face. 

“Thank you, y/n. And I'm sorry again for what Carlos did. I really don’t know why he did that” he tried to explain nervously. You shook your head with a half smile. 

“It’s okay. To be honest, he's an asshole but I am as well. I would have understood if you thought that about me too. So it’s okay. No bad blood. I get you were partying” he watched your lips while you were talking. They were dry and pale. Then he looked at your eyes. “And, sorry for calling the cops i was having a really shitty day to be honest and i needed to sleep”

“I’m sorry, i can go” he was about to stand up in a rush but you took his arm softly not letting him stand up. 

“Stay. it’s fine” he looked at you and sat down in slow motion almost.

·”you’re apartment it’s really nice” he didn’t know what to say. You gave him a real smile now. One he thought he was daydreaming of how beautiful it looked by the warm lightbulb that was involving you two in that living room. 

“Thank you. It took me a few years to figure it out but now I'm really happy with it” you explained and he blushed.  

“It really represents you… I think” he thought this could be taken as disrespectful because he didn’t know you in the current. But he went with it anyway. He spoke before even thinking about it. So many years of pe training yet with you apparently doesn't work. 

“Yeah… I guess” you looked away just trying to think what to say or what to do. 

“I read your book” what he said came out of nowhere and it felt like an ice bucket challenge. You looked straight at him. Not knowing if it was good or bad or why he even mentioned it. “I loved it to be honest. I didn’t know you liked writing but I wasn’t surprised it was so well delivered because you were always good with words and feelings. You’re so talented” he expressed his hands shaking a little for some reason. 

“Thank you” you said through a dry laugh. “Guess I’m not really good with words really, like in real life. And they were never really useful either nor that they were important” you shrugged. 

“They did matter and they do matter i'm sure” he intervened.

“Did they?” You didn’t want to be a snake but you were still hurt and you hated still being hurt because it was ten fucking years ago yet he is still here and now it’s not only on your mind but in your stupid couch as well. 

He adjusted himself on the couch, nervous and uncomfortable with where the conversation was going. 

“I regret it,” he said after a long silence. “I fucking regret taking that decision and leaving you. I don’t even know why I thought at that moment that was the best but I did and I can’t change it but I wish I could. and I know now it’s like a joke that I'm telling you this and I'm the same man that left you there alone and broken. But I can’t stop thinking about you. What you wrote in that book was so beautiful and devastating I hate myself that I put you through all of that. That I hurt you so much that you had to write that. You were important. You mattered to me. But I was stupid. And I’m still am for feeling stuck in that fucking restaurant. I looked for you. Since I saw you that day I looked for you the following days at the coffee shop. I went there and read your book. I wanted to see you again and then I saw you at the ice cream shop. Like fate it’s cruel and twisted. I thought those kids were your children. And I thought about all of these dreams I have mostly every night where we are happily ever after and I wanted to die. I really did. Because I committed the greatest mistake of my life. Losing the only girl who saw me for me and made me feel all those things I never felt again. Everything was just so empty and blue-“ he had to stop when he saw you crying. 

“Stop Charles, please. You can’t come and tell me all of this. Like it is nothing like it can be fixed because it can’t be. You broke me in so many ways you can’t say all that shit, please. You don’t mean it” you just couldn’t keep on listening to him. His words cut through you like daggers. It was painful and unbearable. 

“Nono, I do mean it. I really do, y/n. And I know and I get it - I don’t deserve your apology and I know like saying sorry won’t fix anything I know it won’t but I feel all of these things I need to tell you. I've watched you from Carlos’ house and -“ 

“And are you a creep as well?!” 

“Nono, y/n, please. No, I am not a creep. I just - I didn’t know you were carlos’ neighbor. But he wanted you, that he didn’t know it was you either, to meet our friend Lando and you were there writing in your balcony and my world just went upside down from there. Out of nowhere you started to be everywhere and… and I don’t know what that means but I’m like… I really want it to mean something”

You looked at him not believing your eyes or your ears. You just stood up confused and tried to wipe your face and get yourself together. “You don’t mean that Charles, you don't. Please, just, don’t play with me like this” you were almost begging your drunk ex and you felt pathetic. He stayed silent just watching you. 

“Please, y/n… can we try to be friends at least?” He said with a shaky voice almost in a whisper. He was about to cry as well. You just couldn’t deal with any of this no more. Your brain was rotting. You felt like you were about to die. 

“I can’t do this right now Charles. Just… rest till your head is clear again. There is the guest room, use it as your own. There are pijamada and everything. I need to sleep. Goodnight” you just run up your stairs leaving him behind like some funny paradox. You just throw yourself into your bed not wanting to think or feel anything probably forever but at least till the next day. 

Charles was left with his heart on his hand and his words on the top of his tongue. He watched you while you headed up stairs and disappeared. He was left alone in your empty and unbearably silent living room. He then looked at the door you indicated was the guest room. He took a really deep breath. Was he about to sleep at your place? Funny, huh? He felt stupid. What was he thinking? 

Finally with no other remedy, he got into the guest room. It was beautifully decorated with a lot of paintings. He looked at them closely to see that it was your signature at the bottom of each of them. You painted them. You painted flowers and landscapes. The Mónaco view. The beach. Autumn. All of your favorite things he thought. They were beautiful. Then he turned to the bed, it spooked really comfy. But first he needed clothes so he walked to the closet and when he opened it, there were as you said a lot of pijamada in different sizes. It was a bit weird but maybe you liked to be ready and prepared for anything that happened unexpectedly. Like your ex sleeping here. Totally normal. He laughed to himself a bit. He was sure he was going mad. He finally got changed in the guest’s bathroom and laid in bed. Even the ceiling was judging him. He didn’t feel okay with this but his blind needed to rest so he fell asleep almost immediately. 

⋆˚࿔ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

‘maybe the invisible string does exist and maybe that’s why he is back at my house snoring loudly in the guest room’

You sighed when you finished writing in your journal like every morning. You were fried. You couldn’t sleep that much because memories of what you and Charles used to torment you all night. But at least two hours are two hours of sleep. You had a few meetings today so you hoped Charles woke up in at most an hour. You are drinking water on your couch, not hungry at all. But you obliged yourself to prepare breakfast for Charles. 

You decided to prepare waffles with berries and blueberries, and a latte. You guessed it was still Charles' favorite type of coffee to drink in the morning. And you hated yourself for remembering that too. For remembering all too well. 

“Morning” his deep voice echoed in the kitchen and you turned around to greet him.

“Morning, Charlie. I made waffles and latte, you want some? I bet you are hungry… and also I have aspirin if you are hungover” you said light and smiley. You didn’t want it to be weird even if you thought of it like it. 

“Wow, thanks. I’ll take everything” he said, showing his dimples. He was already wearing the clothes he wore yesterday. You handed him the aspirin and a glass of water and while he took it, you set his breakfast in front of him. He observed you. You looked beautiful even like this. He saw it was breakfast for just one person. “Aren’t you hungry?” He asked and you denied with your head. He sat in front of you in the aisle and started eating. “Thank you for letting me stay, the bed was more comfy that the one I use at Carlos’. It’s really nice of you all of this and again… i’m sorry but I hope we can talk about it someday if you want to” he said while enjoying what you cooked for him. You half smiled. 

“Yeah, it’s okay. Maybe we can talk about it tomorrow or when you’re able. I think it would be nice if we talk things through and make things clear” you agreed with him. After having the whole morning by yourself, you came to the conclusion that you need to talk about everything. You owe yourself that. The opportunity to clear your mind with him and finally move on. 

Right?

⋆˚࿔ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

⋆˚࿔ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

⋆˚࿔ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

yourusername made a post

liked by nikbff , francolapinto , agosbff , charlesleclerc and other 765,435 users.

yourusername: just a bunch of meetings and watching hours of footage of castings for all too well the movie cast 🤓☝🏻who would you like to see?????

view all comments

agosbff: could you also be casted?

⤷ yourusername: I can’t even lie and you want me to ACT

⤷ francolapinto: stick to writing books ur good at it

⤷ yourusername: die 💋

⤷ francolapinto: but you admitted it! and we still need to talk

⤷ yourusername: we are on main 🙃

⤷ francolapinto: I KNOW 🥰

⤷ yourusername: talk to me in YOUR dreams BYE

⤷ agosbff: can you both talk already?

⤷ nikbff: THAT’s WHAT I SAID

⤷ francolapinto: NO🩷

⤷ user1963: TALK ABOUT WHAT?!?!

⤷ user23: is this a soft lunch?

⤷ user1: talk about when are you going to say ur dating??? That’s it?

⤷ user865: THEY ARE FRIENDS EVERYONE CALM DOWN

arthurleclerc: can I send my casting to play the main character’s brother? I think I can be good at it :)

⤷ jadedistinguinn: I wanna be part of it too :3

⤷ user861: im confused

⤷ user975: still can’t believe bro reads girl books

user089: anybody is gonna talk about CHARLES LECLERC in the likes???? I see you buddy

⤷ user752: maybe Arthur know things

⤷ user23: HE KNOWS

taylorswift: think I’m perfect for the main role actually 🤓☝🏻

⤷ yourusername: check your dms princess

zendaya: girlfriend 😍 ur so pretty marry me

⤷ tomholland: EXCUSE ME ????

⤷ zendaya: sorry im gay just for HER

⤷ yourusername: I LOVE YOU LOVE OF MY LIFE

⤷ tomholland: I want the ring back

user885: if anybody cares i would like to see chris evans and scarlett johanson *like by yourusername*

⋆˚࿔ TO BE CONTINUED 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

tag list: @a-beaverhausen , @annaluna12 , @thehoplessromanticclub , @emryb , @hadids-world , @kaztheemyth , @freyathehuntress , @diorbrxtz , @theseerbetweenus , @sie17136 , @leila-030304 , @charlesgirl16 , @ricciardosheart , @weekendlusting , @flowerpotterr , @aundercover ,

don’t forget to like, reblog or comment! And follow me so we can be friends :3 (and drink mate together)

[thezombieprostitute]

The Prey

A/N: Follow up to The Hunt. Entirely written on my phone.

A/N2: Reader is big, tall and female.

Warnings: Implied smut, Implied violence, Self-deprecation, Stalking. Please let me know if I missed any.

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

It feels like you've been on edge the entire week. Like you're being stalked, but every time you look, there's no one there. Figuring you could use a break you decide to eat at your favorite place for dinner. You're sitting in a booth at the pub, reading a book and eating some dinner when a man you don't know sits across from you.

"Damn you're cute," he says.

"No I'm not. And I really don't appreciate lying."

He gives you a confused look, "what do you mean?"

"I am, objectively speaking, unattractive. The way you said I was cute indicates a feeling of attraction and, let's be honest, that's not possible."

"You don't even know me but you really think I'm that shallow?"

"Look, it's not your fault society dictates attractiveness. Maybe it's just not something you ever had to deal with because you are very much an ideal. You've got beautiful eyes, a physique that is tall, muscular and healthy. And it just makes me wonder what's wrong with you that you're not already taken and you're slumming it with someone like me."

"Slumming it?" he asks incredulously.

"Yes," you nod. "All my curves are disproportionate to each other, too much here, too little there. I've got chin hairs and regularly get acne. My eyes are, at best, normal and boring. And let's not even get started on my hair. It's also a fact that men do not care for women as tall or taller than them. I am, objectively, physically unattractive. So when you call me cute, I have to believe you're lying."

"You are very weird," he shakes his head.

"I am," you agree. "Then again, you're the one who interrupted my dinner."

"Just trying to give you a compliment," he groans as he gets up.

"And all you accomplished was interrupting my reading."

You pick your book back up and pretend to read. Your eyes follow him as he heads back to his buddies. Your suspicions are confirmed when you see him hand some cash over to one of his buddies.

It's not the first time bets have been placed at your expense and it won't be the last. It's always a game of getting the ugly girl's hopes up. String her along and then break her heart while leaving her with the tab.

Maybe you'd have been nicer about it if you hadn't been so on edge lately.

Across the bar you don't notice Kraven watching you. It took all of his strength to not step in and punch the bastard so hard he'd never breathe right again. And when you kept talking down about yourself he quietly growled with rage. When you're his mate, he'll make sure you never feel less than gorgeous.

And you will be his mate. He's been following you, trying to find flaws, reasons to walk away, but he can't. You've picked up on him following you, indicating an alertness beyond most humans. Despite obviously being upset, you still helped anyone and everyone at the library without them even guessing you weren't feeling well, indicating your suitability for raising offspring.

And when you tried to release some of that stress in the privacy of your apartment? He breathed in the scent the next day when he broke into your apartment. It was all over your panties that now reside near his bed. It isn't quite "bitch-in-heat" but it still gets him going.

But first, he's going to follow those assholes who messed with you and make sure they never do so again.

Soon he'll have everything needed for your new home. He's determined to show his quality as a mate, as a provider, by building you a dream den. It'll have everything you've ever wanted and needed. Perfect for raising your children.

The only thing you might not like is his rule about no outside contact. At least not until you're fully his. But he's sure it won't take long. You're incredibly smart, kind and you'll know it's meant to be.

🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒🌒

Tagging: @alicedopey ; @delicatebarness ; @hederasgarden @icefrozendeadlyqueen ; @irishhappiness ; @kmc1989; @lokislady82 ; @ronearoundblindly

[familyagrestefanblog]

Ladybug's Lucky Charms in Werepapas

Let's talk about another detail that people kinda REALLY wanna ignore about Marinette's decision in the Werepapas akuma battle. It's the fact that she hand-waves away FIVE Lucky Charms until she finally goes with the sixth:

No, that is NOT irrelevant. Marinette is not supposed to disregard her Lucky Charms left and right because they're trying to tell her what she's supposed to do. That's Lucky Charm 101 in an akuma battle.

I'm not gonna pretend like I know for 100% certainty what they all tried to tell her, but

1) a couple of them can be easily interpreted in very relevant ways.

And 2) I don't NEED to know what exactly they all mean because it doesn't need to be PROVEN that Marinette isn't supposed to cherry-pick her Lucky Charms. We've known since s1 how this works and it's still done like this in s6. Thanks to not being limited anymore to 1 Lucky Charm, she gained the luxury of sometimes just getting to summon one for the purpose of whooping ass instead of solving the actual situation - which is still a lucky charm's REAL purpose - but that doesn't change the fact that you're supposed to listen to the Lucky Charm, not the Lucky Charm to you!

Under special circumstances like a final battle, sure, use additional ones to whoop ass. But you can't just switch out the problem solving Charm with a purely ass whooping one which is what Marinette did here in "Werepapas". It's fine when you do that in an extremely dire situation, but a normal akuma battle is no dire situation. Especially not when the only real stakes there are is being reckless with Adrien's amoks!

She's supposed to use whatever she gets and that'll lead her to the right solution. Not going through a whole line of Lucky Charms until she gets one where she finally likes the first thought she gets from it because of how little it challenges her self-preservation (makes you wonder if having unlimited Lucky Charms now isnt the worst thing that ever happened to her. Now she can just ignore whole Lucky Charms until she finally gets one that tells her something closer to what she wants to hear instead of listening to the CHARM)

Let's take a look at her 6 Lucky Charms:

From my recollection (so correct me if I'm wrong), while the teapot sometimes shows up here and there as filler Charms it was firmly established and used several times as a visual cue for Marinette to go to Master Fu.

Obviously, she can't do that anymore, but she has Alya as co-guardian, Luka who was trained by Su-Han, and even Su-Han himself as Celestial Guardian who now does whatever she wants.

In a situation where Adrien's amoks are the akuma object, it's a pretty logical thing to happen that her first Lucky Charm tells her to get Guaridan-related help. She has the option, all the needed support, and all the resources, but doesn't use it because it wouldn't be nice having to face the baggage that could come with it.

And even if you wanna say "She didn't get help because she didn't wanted the new Butterfly to possibly find out that Adrien is a Sentibeing!" Then that excuse still falls flat because obviously Adrien's LIFE is supposed to be more important than preventing that secret from coming out. The secret has no value if Adrien is DEAD.

Afterwards she gets a fan and this obviously could VERY likely mean that she's supposed to get Felix involved because he's the Miraculous holder of the Peacock. And by "VERY likely" I mean "I doubt there is a likely chance that it ISNT a hint to get Felix".

I won't even elaborate on this further. Her second Lucky Charm tried telling her to get Felix when Adrien's amoks were on the line and she ignored it. It is what it is.

For the third and fifth ones, I personally don't know what they could mean because I already struggle recognizing what exactly they are supposed to be. Though, they do have recognizable shapes. I bet other people could look at them and know where they've seen these objects before in the show.

Then right between these two, the fourth Charm Marinette summons is an unicycle (that for some reason isn't polkadotted, but screw it)

An unicycle like she summoned back in season 2 "Sabotis", the episode in which Alya became Rena Rouge for the first time. Meaning this one pointed to getting Rena's help.

For me, this is one of the most interesting ones regarding Marinette's feelings of not wanting to face the Lucky Charm's solution to instead protect all her secrets. But if anything, I would want to give it its own post and not half-ass it here. Cause there are a lot of layers to this one.

And, of course, the last one: the scarf. It's alongside the fan the one for which the fandom does casually acknowledge the symbolism of it being a call back to 1x01 "The Bubbler" where Marinette now infamously made the decision to let Adrien believe that it was his father who made the scarf for him - and not her - because of how happy it made Adrien that his father finally "cared":

I don't think I need to explain why it makes sense that this is the one s6 Marinette cherry-picks to finally work with. The poor scarf has been made into the symbol of Marinette wanting to keep pretty much everything about Adrien's family a secret from him. Including him being a Sentibeing. I miss the good old days when we dreamed of the scarf being set-up to become the catalyst for Adrien to write off his father as a useless deadbeat who isnt worth his time and love.

So, unfortunately, of course this is the one she goes with now. Even if it means taking the risk to kill Adrien. Anything to keep the secrets save and lies unnoticed. How tf did we GET here?

[nexusbeing]

when my mom died i kept her little dog lola (obviously) and it’s been such a wonderful gift to have her it’s like my mom knew we would need each other

[asmolfolk]

Lilia Vanrouge; "Army Dreamers".

ਈՉ࣪﹑Lilia x Reader.﹗ִ❀ ᘏTW: Death.﹗ִ❀ ᘏGenre: Angst/Comfort (?)﹗ִ❀

It's mostly just an idea vomitting idea tbh? I'm listening to this song on repeat so... Yeah. The only thing that I think it's important to know: The only appearence related thing mentioned was your eyes in a very vague way.

Imagine being the one and only person he would let go with him to anywhere. The one who had left a mark on him... A troublesome fellow, someone he wouldn't dare to let himself fall for... However, when you are all he can think about, all he can search for... It takes another whole act to try to put together. You, who keep reencarnating, with him, who keept searching for you.

When Lilia first met you, he was a ‘Teen Fae’. It was a bit after the first human-fae war, you were one of the humans that decided to move to Briar Valley to escape the hatred from other humans.  He could never understand how could a being be so hateful towards their own... But he supposed it was never about logics at all. 

 You were... Bright. Brighter than the sun and stars together, brighter than fire magic and any candle... You would make him give you some smiles, sometimes. You always said how you wanted to be a singer, to show the world the songs you wrote – you dreamed about being in something that [nowadays] would be close to a rockstar. You would tell him all about your dreams, show him your songs, showing him your big plans... 

 But oh. You never had the money for that, have you? 

 Supporting your family, trying to keep your house and managing a bakery, all in your own. You were exhausting yourself and it didn’t matter anything that Lilia said, you never stopped. You were always bubbling about needing to help someone. 

 You were naive, trusted that the world would give the effort you put on others back to you. You naively thought that you didn’t need to rush. 

 And then it happened, the first death that he saw ever since he had met you. It was a normal day, a normal day that he decided to let you wander off as he bought an instrument for you. It was supposed to be a surprise, but your body was on the ground [dead] 

 You were killed and he didn’t know who did it. 

 The second time, he didn’t even realize it was you. He felt a flick around you but didn’t act on it. He kept his distance around you, you were – again a human. You would often try to talk with fairies on the woods, he never answered your calls.  Again, too naive. Maybe it was because you were just a teen trying to fit in. It didn’t take too long before you were attacked, this time, he knew who did it [By accident] but what an unfortunate event. 

 He left flowers in your grave, never once letting them die... After a year or so, he stopped coming by your grave. He told himself that he couldn't keep doing this. 

Then the third came. You were a dreamer, once more, wanting to be a politician. You constantly talked to yourself as you sat on the same damn forest your last reincarnation was killed. You used to write about new rules you would do. 

You didn’t care what role in royalty, you just wanted to help make everything be nice and smooth. 

   About how things would change once you got power. Oh, how unfortunate – You never had the education for that. Never. 

He could see it in your dreamy eyes, there was no thought behind those eyes – nothing but simply the need to make the world a better place. Your blabbering was sweet but... Was nothing at the same time. Promises can’t make deals and, just like that, you kept dreaming. 

And dreaming. 

And dreaming. 

...And dreaming. 

Until you couldn’t awake no more. 

He was present in every life you were in. He was a mentor, a crush, the guy that you kept yapping about... Just the love of your soul, wasn’t him? 

 You were the most different looking – the kind of ‘Cinderella’ story. He didn’t interact much with you either, he just let you go when you wanted to. Didn’t held you, didn’t think about you – it was better this way. 

Another war had begun after all, he couldn’t be thinking about you – about what it could be. 

This time, however. Things were... Too different. You were one of the... Politicians, seems like you realized the dream you once had, hm? You were the frontline, trying your best to be the strongest of all.   Your King, the one who made you one of his ‘negotiators’, made you go in a mission... An almost suicidal one. 

Lilia didn’t want to look soft to his soldiers when you appeared. You always looked gorgeous, he always would notice who you were [your eyes, the windows of your soul always showed him exactly who you were.] and it wasn’t different here. 

He knew you weren’t there to actually help, you were in a mission. But he indulged you, not only for himself but to get information. He didn’t expect, however, to be able to just... Change your way of thinking. 

Maybe it was the way he managed to ‘humanize’ the faes, making them seem like people in your eyes. The same eyes who, once looked at him with hate, now were full of... Pity, somehow.   You started questioning everything they teached you about.   Everything. 

And you stayed with him. You became his – in more ways than one – and neither him nor you did ever want to let it go. His soldiers recognized you as ‘the almighty’, the only one who managed to make Lilia go soft.   It was amazing.   Maybe... Just maybe, finally you would have a happy ending? Together with your beloved? 

It was one mistake. 

One tiny mistake. 

But he should know at this point, any mistake can take your life away from him. 

You died again, a betrayal that he wasn’t able to see. 

But a betrayal that made his hatred go deeper. 

Letting the fire burn the village, the traitor, everything that could be burned to the ground. 

He had it all... And he lost. 

Maybe that was his mistake, trying to be yours. Trying to make your life revolve around him, he thought for a second... What if you never met him? 

.

.

.

Your other lives never knew who he was. Well, of course, they knew he was General Lilia Vanrouge but never knew who was Lilia. The Lilia who always heard your talks, who fought for you, who would do anything it takes for you.   They lived, survived and died without meeting the very man they were waiting to meet. 

As he grew older, he couldn’t help but think about his earlier mindsets. Taking care of Malleus changed him, in more ways than one, and he – as selfish as he was – wanted you again. He always did, don’t get him wrong. 

But now, NOW, he knows that he could do it. 

He knows that – finally – he could be the man you need. One who already knows the tricks, who will protect you, save you from your constant deaths... One that can give you a happy ever after. 

But he never found you again. Nothing. He could find information about your old past lives, you were a Preacher, a Teacher, died too soon or were simply... Living as much as you could. He tried his best to try to find more, but he could only find those four. 

He tried to hide his constant searching from Silver and Malleus, but that simply wasn’t possible. 

Silver was intelligent, always were. He could easily notice when his father was being too much, his eyes would always look directly at Lilia – seeing him holding the paintings that he managed to steal get of you. In some way, you became a sort of altar for Silver. 

He would pour his feelings while looking at your pictures, asking questions, receiving no answers. 

Maybe the universe was trying to give a sign. Because as soon as the NRC would start, Silver was with your picture the day before. 

“You know... I always thought... How would be to meet you? If you are as bright as in some paintings, as serious as in others or... If you are just a new you.” He looked at the painting once more “Father missed you... I know he does. You were never there when I was born but... I miss you too... parent.” 

Maybe it was the tears, maybe it was the feeling of something he never had but COULD that have made him so... Emotional. He couldn’t control his tears; he tried to not let his tears on the painting [it had a safety glass at least] but he couldn’t help but lament. 

And then, there you were. The magicless student, as beautiful as the day Lilia had lost you, as beautiful as the paintings Silver saw. 

Oh. You were up to some fun things now, aren’t you prefect? 

[hatsbuckets]

[i do not need a fwb situation, i tell myself repeatedly. (i'm in college it'd be way too easy lmao)]

Head Canons (some suggestive stuff in this but not much)

Thinking about John Mactavish volunteering at animal shelters whenever he can. It ends up being like a few spattering of days every month, but he'll spend all day there. He loves being around the animals. And he loves getting to be useful and help wherever he can.

You, a longtime volunteer, there nearly every day, love having the enthusiastic, charming... strong... muscular... funny... extra help too. You were the one who showed John around on his first day, a volunteer event day that he happened upon. A few dozen people showed up, and this mohawked, military man was among them.

He was one of the few who came back to the shelter after the event, and on some random day every week, he's there to lend a hand, listening intently to whatever instructions you give him (he's very motivated to listen to you and help the animals out) and even after a couple weeks of absence, he comes back again, apologizing that work took him away so suddenly.

And after a few months... this silly, mohawked, (might I add effortlessly charming, handsome, pretty?) military man's scattering of volunteer days has become a welcome surprise every time. He's always so sweet when he talks to you, throwing a friendly, "good mornin', love. Survive without me?" Carrying on easy conversation throughout the day, and occasionally something that feels like flirting, but you don't read too much into it.

He's a blessing to have. Dogs need a run? He's the first to grab their leashes. Cats' litter boxes need cleaning? He's there with a scoop in hand. The small collection of rodents' pens need a new layer of bedding? He's already headed to storage.

He comes back drenched in sweat from runs, his tank plastered to his chest. Sweaty thighs peeking out from below his shorts as he squats down to pet the happy, panting dogs. And you pass him a towel, and his smile just beams up at you. God he's adorable and hot all at once.

His arms flex against his shirt sleeves when he hefts the heavy bags of food up onto his shoulder and god if only he'd do that that you.

His hands are so gentle with the tiny new litter of cats that just came in, helping you clean them off and place them safely into the crate with their mum. need I say more

You learn more about each other. Where he's from, what he does for work, and of course you'd pinned military, but he doesn't quite go into the work that he does. He talks about the men he works with, and you start to recognize names like Price, Gaz, and Ghost. He even shows you pictures of the first two. Not the latter though.

And then another few weeks he's not there... You're starting to miss the loud Scottish voice that normally fills the space as you hose down the concrete patio in the back the shelter. Your thoughts drift to how last time you did this with him he had sprayed you very intentionally with the hose. And you nearly tackled him to wrap your soaking body around him. His hand discarding the hose and wrapping under your legs as he hoists you happily up into his arms and oh you were so close, laughing, smiling, teasing about getting soaked. You were definitely blushing as much as he was.

a couple of days later, just like he'd never left, he's back, helping you organize the larger storage closet. Sharing jokes and teasing. Until you have to reach across him and his face is so close to yours and he completes the distance, catching you oh so off guard but you melt into that kiss. and he presses and prods until your job to reorganize is interrupted by the sudden to fuck each other into the next dimension.

and then a few days later it's the same... You had simply gone to grab a new leash from the closet... he had come for a bag of dog food... or that's what he'd told you at least...

And then your bodies are close, his hand at the back of your neck, your hand travelling down and down, his mouth on yours, hot, needy, quick, and amazing. You're both happy to do it. And it seems you both don't think much of it.

This becomes a routine, in his oh too few volunteer days each month, you make a habit of occupying small, mostly private spaces of the shelter, the small break room, the storage closet, his car, your car. It's only been two or three months, and it's not like it's a big shelter, not that many employees, but damn if it doesn't excite you all the same.

And then after one of these sessions, as you're slipping you shirt on in the back of your car, he pecks a tender kiss to the corner of your mouth. "I'll be gone a few weeks this time, bonnie. Jus' though' I might warn ya." (his accent gets thicker when it's laced with lust, you've come to notice.)

And he is, gone a while, that is. And during this time one of your old flings comes to town... some business trip... and God is this one always a good time, so charming and kind, buys you chocolates and all, a good person truly, just not one to settle down. That's fine by you. So, you let them take you home, let them in your bed, and have a good time. And then they head back to whatever the hell fancy job they have in whatever town they live in now.

It's longer than you expect before John comes back. And when he does, he greets you with that charming smile and you put him to work almost immediately, and he's happy to get to cleaning the dog kennels with you. You get to talking, he asks how your past few weeks have been. And John is so easy to talk to. And you mention your old friend you visited, how they visited your home, even bought you chocolates, the goof. But John gets quiet at this... you don't mention it, not yet...

And then of course, he walks you out to your car that afternoon and of course you end up in the back of it (I should mention here that you do not own a small car, after being the animal lover you are, you need the space to load crates in the back seat) and something about how John takes you this time is needy, needier, possesive in the way he nips at your skin and presses against you.

And at the end of it, he leaves with the same gentle peck at the corner of your mouth, but this time there's no quip, no tease, just a "drive safe" and a gentle smile...

A few days later this man returns to the shelter and before he even asks what needs to get done, he's offering up a small box of chocolates with a bashful little smile.

You thank him and accept the chocolates. and then it's back to work. That evening though, after a particularly long day after getting three new dogs and a new cat, when John walks you to your car, you ask if he wants to go home with you. You'd thought about it all day... somewhere between cleaning and intaking the new animals, mustering up the courage to ask. He accepts with that same enthusiasm that the dogs have when someone walks in with their leashes.

You wake up tangled in him, his arm slung heavy over your waist, his chest warm against your back, one leg thrown over yours like he’s actively trying to wrestle you into the mattress in his sleep. And this man sleeps light, military training and all, but the second you start shifting to sneak out of bed, his grip tightens. "Where ya goin’, love?" all rough morning voice and sleep-heavy slur, nose nudging against your shoulder like he could just sink right back into you and stay there. (You do not go anywhere.)

And things stay the same, mostly. He still only comes around every few weeks, still volunteers, still fills the shelter with that chaotic, obnoxious, charming energy. Still gets drenched in sweat from running the dogs, still lifts those massive bags of food onto his shoulders like he’s personally showing off for you (and he is), still sneaks off into the storage closet with you when no one’s looking, grinning against your mouth before pressing you up against the nearest shelf.

But then, one evening, right as you're closing up the shelter, he lingers by the front desk. Hands shoved deep in his pockets. That telltale shift of weight from foot to foot like he's got something rattling around in his skull, something he's been turning over for a while now.

"Was thinkin'..." He exhales sharply, rubs a hand over the back of his neck, looking down at his boots like they’ve got the answers. "I've gotta go again, but maybe next time I’m back, we go out somewhere. A proper date, aye?"

And fuck. That shouldn’t make your stomach flip. But it does. You should say yes. You want to say yes. But you don't.

Because life is a cruel and petty little bastard, your old fling had waltzed back into town. Just for you. A familiar, easy thing. The kind of person you don’t have to think about too much. And for some reason, you say yes when they ask you to dinner. Maybe because you don’t want to wait for something uncertain. Maybe because John is John—flirty, gorgeous, disgustingly good at making you weak in the knees, but never around long enough for you to be sure. (And John doesn't show it, not outwardly, but it breaks his heart.)

And then John comes back. Finally. And he’s not alone. There is a mountain standing next to him. Big. Broad. Dressed head to toe in dark clothes and hoodie like he’s ready for spying, the lower half of his face covered by a black medical mask. He looks like he could crush a man with one hand and still have fingers left to spare. And his eyes, dark, cold, sharp as a fucking blade, land on you like he’s personally offended by your existence. Oh. Oh, this must be Ghost.

John, completely unfazed, grins. “Ghost wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” Ghost says nothing. Just stares. (You have never felt more judged in your life. The fuck did you do to make this walking fortress glare at you like that? You know he doesn’t know. There’s no way he knows. Right?)

And things go back to normal, kind of. John keeps showing up, keeps doing his usual thing. But there’s something off this time. A shift in the way he looks at you, something quietly considering behind his eyes. It all comes to a head one evening when you’re closing up together, standing in the back room trying to fix a shelving issue. He’s quiet. You’re quiet.

And then, you break first. Spill it out like you didn’t mean to—how your old fling wasn’t what you thought, how you shouldn’t have agreed in the first place, how you let yourself get caught up in something easy instead of something real. And John? He leans back against the counter, arms crossed, listening, nodding along like he’s already pieced this all together. Until you mutter, "And I don’t even fucking like chocolate."

And that is what makes him pause. And his brows pull together. Just a little. And then, in the softest, most John way possible—"...Oh."

And the next time he walks into the shelter, it’s not with chocolates.

It’s with a small paper bag. He hands it to you with a little smirk, and inside.

Fresh strawberries. From the farmer’s stand down the road. You’d only mentioned them once. Some passing comment made one day while you were both cleaning up in the yard outside. And John had remembered. And with a charming little smile, he takes your hand. "Let me take ya out properly." And you blink up at him, caught off guard by how easy, how simple he makes it sound. "I—yeah."

And yes, you go on that date. And yes, you end up back at your place. And yes, you have a very, very good night.

And yes, eventually, John introduces you to Ghost properly. (and Price and Gaz too, ah John and Kyle.)

And yes, somehow, someway, you end up with not just one, but two terrifyingly strong military men helping out at the shelter—John still enthusiastically doing everything he can, and Ghost looming in the doing every little thing you ask without question, surprisingly good with the most feral old cats, somehow terrifying and begrudgingly helpful all at once. (He makes it a point to lift two bags of dog food for every one John carries. Jesus Christ)

And yes, eventually, Ghost ends up in your bed too.

But that’s another story.

Thanks for reading.

[witchywithwhiskey]

Ok for the Sweethearts Game I'm going with Ransom and true love! 💕💕

Happy Valentine's babe! 😊

skincare routine

pairing: boyfriend!ransom drysdale x female reader

summary: your boyfriend is in a dark mood when he gets home from work on valentine's day, but you're prepared to spend the night pampering him and showing him how much you love him.

warnings: 18+ content (minors dni!!!), emotional hurt/comfort, smut, piv sex, unprotected sex, cockwarming, bathing together, ransom is emotional and vulnerable, ransom's family has issues, non-sexual and sexual intimacy, fluff, emotions, pet names (beautiful), kissing, established relationship

word count: 2.7k

a/n: ahh thank you for sending in this request/prompt Kes!! i wasn't sure at first how to tackle "true love" with Ransom, but then i had this idea and i'm so so so happy with how it turned out!! i love taking a big mean man and making him soft—and who needs some pampering and emotional support more than Ransom?? 🤭 thank you for playing my sweethearts game, i hope you enjoy ♡♡

sweethearts game masterlist

You could tell from the way the front door of the Boston townhouse you shared with your boyfriend opened and shut just a little bit shaper than normal that Ransom Drysdale was in a mood. Truthfully, you’d known it since he texted you that he’d be late coming home, his frustration clear in the tone of his message. 

So, when he trudged into the living room, kicking off his expensive leather loafers in the doorway and tossing his wool coat haphazardly on a chair, you were well and truly prepared for the scowl on his handsome face. It made your heart lurch, wanting to take all his pain and anger away, and you were more than certain you’d made the right call about your Valentine’s Day plans that evening.

Your boyfriend didn’t even greet you before he collapsed on top of you on the couch, burying his face in your chest and curling his larger body around yours. His strong arms banded around your waist and dragged you so close, there wasn’t an inch of space between your bodies. Only then did a modicum of tension ease from his shoulders.

A soft laugh slipped from your lips at his grumpy demeanor and you carded your fingers through Ransom’s soft, brown hair, pushing it back from his face and raking your nails over his scalp until he let out a groan of pleasure. The tense bunching of his shoulders began to soften and you smiled down at the top of his head. 

You kept up the soothing motion of your fingers, making soft cooing sounds to your boyfriend while, slowly but surely, he finally relaxed. After a while, he turned his face to the side, his cheek pressed to your sternum so he could mumble out the first words he’d spoken since he got home.

“Just gimme a few minutes, then I’ll get ready for our date,” he said. His voice was so heavy with exhaustion that you couldn’t help but hug him a little bit tighter. 

He hadn’t even opened his eyes, but you knew his normally sharp, intelligent blue irises would be dull with fatigue and frustration. You could see the evidence of his annoyance in the two little furrows between his brows, and you smoothed them away with your thumb. 

Ducking your head, you pressed a featherlight kiss to his hairline at the top of his forehead, watching with no small degree of satisfaction as even more tension drained from his exquisitely handsome face. It was a reminder that you were Ransom’s safe space, and you felt honored to be that for him—just as he was your safe place.

“I cancelled our reservation at Ostra,” you began to say, but your words were cut off on a startled sound when Ransom suddenly pushed himself up, his face twisted into a glare.

There was very little heat to the expression, though, and you noted that his eyes did look as dull and exhausted as you’d suspected they might. It was hard to take the glaring man seriously when he looked so tired and had been cuddling you so sweetly just a moment before, so you gave him a challenging look in return.

“I made that reservation six months ago,” Ransom bit out harshly, even as he was making obvious pains to soften his tone because he knew you didn’t deserve his ire. It was an admirable effort, but it didn’t matter, Ransom couldn’t ruffle your feathers that easily. “I wanted our first Valentine’s Day to be special,” he said sullenly, dropping his head onto your chest again. 

You gave him a moment to take a deep breath and calm down, and then you pulled him up for a kiss. It was just a soft brush of your lips against his, but the rest of the anger drained out of him just as quickly as it had come and he sank into the kiss. His mouth pressed more firmly to yours as your lips slanted together. You could taste the apology on his tongue. 

With a sigh, Ransom pulled away and lay back down on your chest, squeezing you tightly as he relaxed back into your body. Your fingers kneaded his shoulders lightly before returning to his hair, smoothing through the strands and pulling another, more contented exhale from your boyfriend.

“As I was saying, I cancelled our reservation, but Ostra agreed to deliver some food to us,” you said, biting back a laugh when Ransom made a grudging sound of encouragement. It was little more than a grunt, but you’d long since learned how to interpret his wordless sounds. “It’ll be here a little later. I thought we could take a bath together while we wait.”

There was some grumbling reluctance from Ransom, who didn’t seem to want to leave the couch, but you finally managed to coax him up and dragged him upstairs to the master bathroom. Once inside, he stared dumbfounded as you flitted about, lighting candles and drawing a bath, adding rose petals and a luxurious bath bomb to the hot water. 

A little while later, the two of you were submerged in the blisteringly hot water filling the extra large clawfoot tub Ransom had put into the bathroom for the exact reason of comfortably fitting two people. The tiled room was quiet and dim, with only the softly flickering flames of the candles lighting the space.

“Do you want to talk about today?” you asked gently, your lips brushing against the shell of Ransom’s ear, smelling his freshly washed hair and letting the comfort of the familiar scent soothe your own aches and pains.

The two of you were laying entangled in the tub, your back against the cool porcelain while Ransom’s larger body was sprawled between your thighs with his back to your chest. You’d washed his hair and taken a loofah to every inch of his skin, scrubbing him clean while he’d relaxed. 

You’d already refilled the tub once, and neither of you seemed in a rush to leave the bath, so your fingers were tracing idly up and down Ransom’s smooth chest while his big hands stroked your thighs beneath the warm water. 

It was so pleasant, you almost never wanted to leave—or talk about what had bothered him that day. But you’d needed to ask, in case he did want to talk about it.

Ransom was quiet for a long moment before he heaved a heavy sigh, sounding like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. You ducked down and pressed a kiss to the base of his neck, feeling his muscles loosen beneath your lips. 

“It’s the same old bullshit,” he said heavily, his eyes closing as he sank deeper into the water. “I’ll never live up to my family’s expectations, I’ll never be… good enough for them.” 

His voice cracked a little on his last words and you wrapped your arms around his big body, squeezing him tightly and giving him the comfort you knew he needed. It broke your heart to see the way Ransom’s family treated him, especially since all you could do was support him and remind him that you cared about him. 

“I love you, Ran,” you whispered in his ear before pressing a kiss to his temple. “I love you exactly as you are—you’ll always be enough for me.” 

A rough sound came from deep in Ransom’s throat and he turned his face, pressing it into your arm. You knew from the gentle shaking of his chest and shoulders that he was crying and you buried your face in his neck, holding him tight while he let it out. 

All the while, you murmured your love into his skin, feeling his pulse beneath your lips and wishing you could pour your love straight into him. You wanted him to know your love wasn’t conditional like his family’s; you wanted him to feel your love with every beat of his heart.

When Ransom quieted, you sat up and rearranged the two of you in the tub. Some water sloshed over the edges as you moved to sit in his lap, your legs circling loosely around his waist. 

Your handsome boyfriend’s cheeks were pink and his eyes were dull and watery, and you couldn’t help but love him all the more. He was having trouble meeting your eye, but that was fine. It had taken a long time for him to feel comfortable crying in front of you and he still struggled with it, so you appreciated every bit of vulnerability he allowed you to see.

You held Ransom’s face in your hands and kissed the remaining tears from his skin with featherlight presses of your lips. Even once you’d gotten them all, you kept brushing kisses all over his face, until he was laughing, the sound rich and deep and pleased, sending shivers of delight racing down to your toes.

“What’re you doing, beautiful?” he asked in a rough, rumbly voice that had sparks zinging beneath your skin. You made a mental note to make Ransom some tea to soothe his throat after you got out of the bath, even as you kept kissing his face.

“Skincare,” you answered sweetly. Your lips caressed his forehead, cheeks and chin with even more kisses, making him chuckle deep in his chest. “Kisses from your true love are the best skincare routine, didn’t you know?” you asked matter-of-factly, unable to keep the silly smile off your face.

Another laugh rumbled out of Ransom and his arms wound around your waist, pulling you closer until his half-hard length was trapped against your soft belly. For the moment, though, the two of you ignored it, content to bask in the intimacy of your bodies pressed together, skin to skin while you held each other.

Ransom’s mouth found yours, stopping you from continuing with his skincare routine, and he kissed you slowly, tenderly. Heat bloomed and unfurled from the depth of your core as your lips parted for your boyfriend, allowing him to slip inside and deepen the kiss. 

In every sweep of his tongue and soft groan, you felt his love, and you returned it in kind, showing him how much you cherished and adored him. You loved Ransom Drysdale and you wanted him to know it, to be certain of it on his darkest of days. 

“I love you, too,” Ransom murmured after pulling away and pressing his forehead to yours. His mouth ducked down and captured your lower lip, nibbling on its plump plushness in such a way that your body grew warmer than the bath water, desire for him rising within you. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”

“Oh, you’d definitely be way more miserable without me,” you quipped, your voice a little breathless from his kisses as you tried to lighten the mood. 

But Ransom was somber as he brushed a kiss to your cheek and agreed, “I would.”

The seriousness of his tone had you squeezing your arms tighter around his shoulder, your mouth seeking his for a deeper kiss. With so much of your bare skin pressed against Ransom’s, it wasn’t long before the mood in the bath shifted, and turned into something desperate and craving. 

“Ran,” you whined softly when he pulled away to press hot, suckling kisses to your neck. Your hips shifted restlessly beneath the water, rubbing against the stiff length trapped between your bodies. It was so close to where you needed him, but so far away, too. “Ran.”

“D’you need something, beautiful?” Ransom teased in his deep, rich voice, nipping at the skin over your fluttering pulse point. A moan tumbled from your lips as your head fell back, lolling to the side to give him more room to kiss and suck on your neck.

“You,” you moaned, when you managed to formulate a thought and answer your boyfriend’s question. “I need you.”

Ransom’s big hands slid down your back, palming your ass and lifting you up with the help of the water. Eagerly, you reached between your thighs and lined up the tip of his cock with your entrance. He lowered you back down slowly, giving you time to adjust to his thick length impaling your body.

When you finally settled back on his lap, you felt perfectly full, a blissful smile curling the corners of your lips as you let out a sigh and let your head fall against his shoulder. Ransom settled back against the side of the porcelain tub, the two of you getting comfortable in the bath so you could stay connected in the most intimate way possible until the water cooled.

For a long, long while, the two of you held each other, fingers dancing idly over warm, slick skin while you enjoyed being together. You told Ransom about the book you were reading and he chuckled at the mob boss romance, scoffing at the male main character’s antics. But he also shared stories from his day, updates on the manuscripts he was excited about at Blood Like Wine Publishing. 

Eventually, the bath grew cold and the heat that had been building in your body from keeping Ransom’s cock warm in your pussy for so long grew impossible to ignore. Gradually, your bodies began to rock together, first slowly and then picking up speed as your mouth found Ransom’s for a blisteringly searing kiss.

Ransom fucked you hard and fast in the tub, the two of you having used up all your patience and needing to find completion together. With his big hands kneading your ass greedily, Ransom bounced you up and down on his cock, uncaring of the water spilling from the tub while his face was buried in your tits, licking and sucking and marking your body as his own. 

As for you, all you could do was tangle your fingers in his still damp hair and hold on while he pounded into you from below, filling your cunt perfectly, stretching you exquisitely, and hitting a spot deep inside you so deliciously, you were rocketing toward your release. Your boyfriend knew just the angle to make sure your clit ground against the base of his cock with every thrust, and he used his hold on your ass to hit it perfectly. 

Ransom worked your pleasure higher and higher until it finally snapped and you came with a shrill cry that bounced off the tiles of the bathroom. He held you tight while your body trembled and clamped down around his cock, groaning his own release into your skin as he pumped you full of his cum. 

Your boyfriend held you close as you came down from your highs, his hands skimming up and down your spine soothingly. But when you shivered at the cooled temperature of the bath, he was quick to help you out of the tub and bundle you up in a fluffy towel. 

Together, you cleaned up the bathroom, drained the tub and blew out all the candles, moving into the bedroom and stealing kisses from each other as you dressed. Ransom insisted that you wear one of his sweaters, because he loved seeing you in his clothes, so you happily pulled one on, along with some comfortable shorts while he dressed in a tee and joggers.

By the time you made it back downstairs, your dinner had been delivered from Ostra and the two of you ate the expensive meal on the couch, watching some mindless TV and cuddling in the Boston townhouse you called home. 

It may not have been the Valentine’s Day your boyfriend had planned, but you couldn’t help but notice how happy he looked, his face relaxed and an ever-present smile curling the edges of his mouth while he buried his head in your chest and snuggled into you. It turned out to be the perfect night.

All you’d wanted was to spend the evening with your favorite person in the world, to make him feel better and bring him the comfort he’d sorely needed. And the fact that, as he was falling asleep in your arms on the couch, you got Ransom Drysdale to admit that your true love kisses were, in fact, the best skincare routine was just an added bonus.

sweethearts game masterlist

[anomalyaly]

I See the Light

CW: NSFW. EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT, MINORS DNI. ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+ READERS DISCRETION ADVISED

Written for the OHL discord server February NSFW event. Flynn Rider!Sebastian teaches an unnamed FMC!Rapunzel something new.

~3k words

[AO3] [Wattpad]

Tags: Tangled!AU, Sebastian Sallow x nameless FMC, first time (for her), fingering (F receiving), oral sex (F receiving and a hint of M receiving), face sitting, masturbation, unprotected vaginal sex, they're in a forest so I guess public sex but nobody is around, fast and hard because I am burdened by the word count limitations

It started out as a harmless prank.

One that involved stealing a crown from the royal palace. It wasn't as if someone with that much money would miss one crown made of enough precious metals, he could bribe anyone and their mother for whatever he wanted with it.

After all, he was the Sebastian Sallow — the greatest known thief in the land.

Everything was going so smoothly, running from the law, until he stumbled upon an odd clearing in the forest, a tall tower in the distance. His unfortunate, or perhaps, very fortunate decision to climb up it is what had gotten him into this situation in the first place, traipsing the forest with an odd girl — a very beautiful girl — but odd nonetheless, who had been mysteriously trapped within the isolated tower.

What made the girl odd was that she kept a suspicious secret about her reasons for being locked away — and the fact that she had hair that was a ridiculous length for that of a normal human being. Hair that had been long enough to stretch from the window to the base of the tower that she resided in.

She had even brandished a frying pan as a weapon. The naivety of this girl. However, she had taken his stolen crown and hidden it away, offering only to return it to him if he agreed to her terms.

Fine. If that's what it took to get it back, Sebastian reluctantly agreed. It shouldn't be too difficult to bring one innocent girl to the kingdom to see some lanterns and return her home in one day, right?

Wrong.

After the girl had several panic attacks upon exiting her tower, they were chased by palace guards and nearly drowned in their attempt to escape. He supposed it was mostly his fault, being a wanted man, but their adventure had nearly cost both of them their lives.

For him, he supposed it was only a matter of time until fate caught up with his misdeeds. But the poor girl was innocent. And he had nearly gotten her killed.

Both of them collapsed on the ground in the forest, deciding to make camp for the night. Exactly twenty-four hours until the lantern festival.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I never meant to — I didn't mean for it to go this far."

He tucked his injured hand behind his back, but she noticed it right away. "You're hurt."

"I'll be fine."

"No," she murmured, pulling it closer to her and wrapping her hair around it, "let me help."

He scoffed, "I highly doubt that — "

He was cut off as she started to sing a cryptic lullaby. He was about to stop her until he noticed that her hair was glowing. And as he pulled his hand away from her hair, her song finished, and the wound was completely healed.

"How did you — "

"My hair," she quickly said, "it...can heal people when I sing. That's why I was...why I had to stay in that tower. To protect it. To protect me."

"You never left? At all?"

The girl shook her head, smiling sheepishly. He studied her carefully, noting the blush on her cheeks glowing in the firelight. He scooted closer to her. "That...must have been lonely."

"Sometimes," she agreed, "but....I read, a lot. I like to think of the characters in my stories as my friends." She grinned. "The romances were my favorite."

"Really?" He was intrigued. "What did you like most about them?"

Her face reddened further. "I...well, when they kissed. I always wondered what it feels like."

"Yeah?" He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I have quite the experience in that area, you know. I could always show you."

He meant it as a joke, somewhat, but she immediately perked up. "You'd do that?"

"What?" Sebastian gaped. "I-I mean...yes, I suppose. If...if that's what you— " He wasn't certain where he was going with this idea. Kissing strangers in pubs was one matter, but her? She was innocent, naive, and inexperienced.

"Yes," she nodded emphatically. "Please. I...I want to know."

He cleared his throat. "Alright then. Just...just follow my lead."

He leaned closer to her and gently cupped her cheek in his hand. "I'm...I'm going to kiss you now."

Her eyes fluttered closed. "I'm ready."

He swallowed, then gently pressed his lips to hers. She didn't move, her nervousness and lack of experience showing, and he guided her as he pulled her closer to him, feeling her soft lips against his. He threaded his fingers through her hair and dared to run his tongue along her lower lip, and she elicited a soft moan.

Oh shit.

He hadn't expected to be turned on this easily. How long had it been since he had last physically been with someone?

She responded a bit too enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around him and pressing herself flush against him. He grabbed her arms and pushed her back slightly.

"W-wait," he said, stopping her mid-kiss. "I...I thought it was just a kiss. Not—" he shook his head.

She tilted her head innocently. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," he breathed, attempting to clear his thoughts that were becoming increasingly wild. "You — you can't just respond like that and...and not expect something to happen." He smiled lightly. "I'm only a man, after all. I have...urges."

She furrowed her brows. "Urges?" Then, she brightened in understanding. "Oh! Like...sexual urges."

Sebastian actually blushed. Why did it suddenly seem so dirty when she said it? "Well...yes."

"Teach me."

"What?!"

She held him firmly. "Teach me," she insisted. "I'm only going to be outside of my tower for one more day. I...I want to learn."

"I — " How could he say no? "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She sighed. "You saved my life, and you're taking me to see the lanterns. I want it to be you."

Sebastian took a deep breath. "Alright." If that was what she wanted. She had asked for it, after all. "I'm...I'll go slow, okay? Just...if you feel uncomfortable...."

"Sebastian." She let out a huff.

"Okay! Okay." He gritted his teeth before his lips collided with hers once more, still maintaining the gentleness of their first kiss, but with more fervor, his intent clear.

Her resounding moan vibrated along his lips and sent shivers down his spine. He wasn't inexperienced, but he had certainly never taken a girl's innocence before. It was much easier to go after a quick fuck, a one-night stand to scratch an itch before moving on to his next endeavor — which mostly centered around thievery. Sex was simply an outlet.

This, however, was different.

He ran his hands along her arms and trailed his fingers up her bodice, deftly undoing the lacing on her corset and letting the rest of her dress fall to the ground. His lips left hers, and he planted soft kisses along her neck before pulling back to look at her. "Is this al— "

"Stop asking me if it's alright," she grumbled. "I will tell you if something is wrong."

Right. He had never been so nervous to fuck someone before. It really had been too long.

His hungry gaze roamed over her untouched, bare body. Years in the tower left her skin soft and silky, a stark contrast to his rough and calloused hands. He lightly traced them over her bare breast and smiled as she shivered at his touch.

"Feel good?" He asked. She nodded. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I can do things that will feel even better, sweetheart. Just trust me."

He pulled back to undo the buttons on his shirt and shrugged it off, throwing it to the side and wrapping his arms around her once more. He guided her to the soft grass and laid her beneath him as he continued to trail kisses along her delicate skin.

"Let me take care of you," he murmured, and he took one of her peaked nipples in between his lips.

The way she arched her body into his made it even clearer that she had never been touched, every inch of her overly sensitive to his gentle caresses. His fingers danced along her thighs, tracing the freckles along the inside of one before expertly finding her center.

Her form trembled in ecstasy beneath him as he lightly circled her clit, his finger already coated in her slick, preparing her for everything that was to follow. Sebastian was eager to be inside her, his own arousal beginning to peek through his trousers, but he would make sure she was taken care of first.

"That feels — really — really good," she panted, and her fingers dug into his back. He carefully slipped a digit inside of her and gently curled it against the perfect spot, grinning as her hips bucked against his hand.

"Oh!" He could feel her tightening around his finger, knowing she was getting closer to her peak. He wondered if she had ever orgasmed before, if she had ever managed to complete herself on her own, locked in the tower for so many years, or if he would be the first to bring her over the edge.

The thought of it even being a possibility sent a surge of pride through him.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he encouraged, his face pressed into her neck so he could whisper praises into her ear. "Relax and let go. Let me make you feel good." He slipped a second finger inside for good measure.

It sent her over the edge, and when he curled his fingers again, she arched her back and let out a wanton cry. He planted kisses along her neck as she trembled beneath him, working her through her orgasm and murmuring encouragements against her.

"Beautiful," he whispered as he watched her face relax, her eyes heavy-lidded and her body spent. He slid further down her body until his face settled between her legs. He felt her grasp his arm and glanced up at her.

"Wait!" She clutched his arm. "W-what are you doing?"

Sebastian grinned. "Did you think we were done?" He planted a light kiss on her inner thigh. "Oh, no, love. We're just getting started."

He continued to leave a path of kisses from her thigh until he hovered over her core once more. "Just relax, and let me make you feel good."

She chewed on her lower lip nervously, but when she nodded and leaned back again, he leaned forward and pressed his tongue to her center, sliding gracefully along her folds until he felt her melt into his touch. His strong hands gripped her thighs firmly, and he encouraged her to spread herself wider for him.

"Mfph!" She whimpered, worrying her lower lip still between her teeth as she tried to hold back. Sebastian pulled his tongue away, and she groaned at the space he left.

"Nobody is here, darling," he murmured, his warm breath grazing over her. "I want to hear everything. I want to hear how good I make you feel."

"B-but —"

Sebastian tightened his grip on her thigh. "If you go quiet, I'll stop." It wasn't a true threat, as he would never stop if he knew she would let him have her, his own desire growing by the minute.

But she agreed, and when he circled her with his tongue again, she gasped. Her hands flew to his head and tangled themselves in his curls, and he couldn't help himself as he let out a guttural moan, burying himself in her as he fucked her with his mouth. She arched her hips into him, and he silently prayed to whatever powers were out there that, if he were to die, it would be from suffocating himself against her, drowning in her sweetness.

Merlin, how badly he wanted her to ride his face.

He gently pried her hands off of his head and slid his body away from her, almost feeling a bit guilty at her cries of protest. But he wasn't going to let her off that easily. He tugged his trousers off and tossed them haphazardly to the side, somewhere between the thickening forest and wherever his shirt hand ended up, and laid down on the ground.

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "What — "

"Come here," he said, guiding her hips over top of him. "I want you to angle yourself here and...and do what I was doing to you."

The young woman blinked at him. "You mean...sit...here?"

Sebastian bit back a groan at her innocence. "Yes. And you...move along my tongue in whatever way makes you feel good."

She nodded and settled herself on his face. "Like this?"

He wasted no time before getting to work, and he moaned with pride when she rested her weight atop him and ground herself into his mouth. She was so wet, he could feel his face already coated with her juices. Yes, this is most certainly how I wish to die.

She bucked her hips in a ragged movement, and he knew she was already nearing another orgasm. He reached between himself and wrapped his hand around his hardened length, stroking himself desperately to the rhythm she set. His tongue lapped against her as if he was a man starved and she was his final meal.

"Sebastian-! I-I can't — I have to —!"

He pressed his face into her and groaned against her clit, the vibrations dragging her to her climax. She yanked on his curls and rode out the rest of her orgasm, her body shaking with sensitivity. It took everything he had not to lose himself — he was saving that for her.

And oh, he would enjoy every second of being inside her.

She lifted herself off of his face and tried to climb off, but he held her hips in place. "I want you to be able to take the lead."

"But," she blushed, "I don't know what I'm doing."

"That's precisely it." His thumbs traced small circles along her hips. "I'm going to guide you, but I want you to be able to set your own pace. Whatever makes you comfortable. That way — " He quirked a smile at her, "I know for certain you're enjoying it."

And he could enjoy watching her.

He helped position her as she knelt, hovering over his throbbing erection. Sebastian wasn't the patient type, but he knew the reward that awaited him would be worth it. His breath hitched as she traced a line up his length with her delicate fingers.

"Can I...?" she asked shyly, as if voicing the question was more vulgar than what he had just done to her.

He swallowed back a whimper. "P-please."

She stroked his cock once, twice, testing his reaction, and Sebastian was more than willing to give it to her. Her feather-light touches had him wanting more when suddenly, she leaned down and dragged her tongue along it in an experimental lick.

Fuck.

He hadn't realized how sensitive he had gotten from not being touched for so long.

"N-not...not now," he managed, his voice strained.

She glanced up at him, and the sight of her pink lips hovering over the seeping head of his cock tempted him, pleaded with him to thrust into her mouth and coat her tongue. But he wanted something else more.

"I need to be inside you."

She blushed and straddled his hips, and he could feel the heat radiating from her as her wet cunt settled on top of his cock. She nibbled on her lower lip, breathing steadily as she adjusted to the feel of him.

"Take your time, love," he said roughly.

He gasped raggedly as she slowly slipped him inside of her, forcing him to control his urges and allow her time to adjust. She was tight, perfectly fitted around him and he struggled to resist burying himself in her and fucking her until they were both seeing stars.

And then, she sank all the way down, a soft sigh of contentment leaving her lips at the feel of him.

It was almost too much, the way her cunt enveloped him, and as she began to move achingly unhurried, he reactively snapped his hips into hers and released a needy groan.

"That...feels good to you?" She practically breathed the words out.

Sebastian could only manage a nod as his thumbs dug into her thighs. He was too sensitive, too desperate, too touch-starved to control himself.

Thank Merlin she could sense his need.

"Take me," she panted as she rode him, angled just so that her tits bounced in front of his face, carved as perfectly as a Greek statue and yet so supple he couldn't resist pressing his face into them. She let out another soft whimper. "Take me how you want me."

It was his undoing.

He grasped her hips roughly and thrust into her, fast, hard, taking and taking everything he wanted at her command. He was hers, whether she knew it or not, and if she had asked him to, he would have burned the world for her if it meant making this moment last forever.

She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and tucking her face into his neck, biting and sucking gently at his pulse point as she mimicked what he had taught her, their bodies moving in tandem as he drove himself into her. And when she finally cried out, her body tightening around him as she came, he clumsily followed right after, his rhythm ragged, spilling himself inside and muffling a groan against her long hair that he was certain was still glowing in the middle of the forest.

It was faster than he had planned, yet more powerful than anything he could have imagined. But when he looked at her, their sweaty bodies still clinging to each other on the forest floor, her eyes still closed as she panted against him, it was as if the fog had lifted and everything was clear.

And at last, I see the light.

[zolo-san]

Love your thoughts on Law 🥰👌. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Sanji and women. Is he really a pervert? Why does he claim that women need to be treated with respect but goes crazy for their boobs every time he sees them? 🤔

Okay, Okay so I actually do have a lot of thought/opinions about Sanji and his view/treatment of women~ (gonna put think in a read more because otherwise this post is gonna be so long lol) Also, I just want to say, thank you so much for asking anon, I'm always looking for an excuse to ramble on about my One Piece character thoughts (And I'm glad you liked my thoughts on Law!!!)

Oda and Toei's Writing and it's Effect on Sanji's Character

In order to fully discuss this topic, we have to get a little more meta about it all and acknowledge Oda as a writer as well as common Anime/Manga tropes and gags and Anime filler to pad run-times

Sanji going crazy over women and tending to have over the top and often perverted reactions to them is very much a result of a common trope in Anime/Manga - It's meant to be a gag and not taken too seriously (Tho imo, that gag gets quite tired and escalates over time throughout the OP series) We see the same gag with Brook - it's normally not meant to be a defining character trait or something that's seen as harmful/predatory, it's realistically just a dumb (honestly immature) joke The pervert gag/trope has never been one I care for but alas, I choose to consume a type of media that is primarily written by men who think that type of thing is funny~ (I will give Oda a bit of a break since he started writing One Piece when he was in hi early 20s, so he was still pretty immature himself) I do think, however, that Toei is very responsible for some to the more obnoxious "Sanji pervert" moments Yes, Oda does write a good amount of them, but the writers for the anime will often take the joke and run with it to buy them some time and stretch out an episode (We see this a lot with the whole "Usopp is a coward bit" too) If you're not aware, a lot of anime of current, on-going, manga series will often add a lot of filler and gags to fill up their episode run time They do this for two main reason: The first being to swap off animation teams or give the main team more time (often times filler episodes are animated by a different team than the main story episodes) and the second being a way to give the mangaka time to write more chapters and insure that the anime doesn't catch up to the manga too quickly (both giving animation teams a break/more time to animate and giving time for more chapters to be written is also a huge factor in why shows go on hiatus as well) That being said, dumb gags like "Sanji's a pervert" and "Usopp is a coward" are very easy ways for the animation team to waste time in an episode (I would also like to point out that some of the more egregiously perverted shots and moments in general are really just a choice by the Toei animators and I have some beef with that, but we're not gonna get into that right now)

Now, I truly believe that a lot of Sanji's more perverted behavior when it comes to women is not truly meant to be a defining character trait I think this because when we first meet Sanji and right up until about Thriller Bark, his behavior around women is fairly harmless and more of an admiration and appreciation (I'm also talking about his cannon behavior that is seen in the manga, not the additions from Toei) Thriller Bark is the first time that we truly see Sanji say something that implies him to be a real pervert when he talks about how ever since he was a kid he became obsessed with the Suke Suke no Mi so he could sneak into a women's bath house and spy on them naked This is truly the beginning of, as my sister's fiance likes to call it, "The Sanji Character Assassination" While this addition is very 🙄, to me and feels a bit out of character from everything we've seen and known about how Sanji really thinks and acts around women, I can't help but feel like this and a lot of the following "Sanji Pervert" moments are mostly a result of Oda running the joke too long and finding a dumb joke a bit too funny

I truly fear sometimes, when it comes to Sanji and women, that Oda has lost the plot~

but I still stand by it all being a gag and not really meant to be a defining character trait or Sanji's real feelings While yes, we often see Sanji act a bit perverted at times, when push comes to shove and Sanji has to act, regarding a woman in any way that is actually plot relevant, he tends to drop the "pervert" persona and return back to what I feel is his true feelings towards women

Sanji's Real Feeling about Women

When we're first introduced to Sanji he's shown as a guy who has a great appreciation for women He treats them nice, pampering them, he talks about how beautiful and wonderful and graceful all women are He puts them up on a pedestal, but he also sees women as complex people We see this first with his reaction to Nami leaving and "betraying" the crew when it comes to Arlong park While he does swoon over Nami, he also doesn't hold her actions against her because he believes that she must have her reasons for doing what she did and he's proven right when Nojiko tells them about Nami's past (Something that Sanji is very sympathetic towards - he immediately recognizes her suffering and sees it as a valid reason for her actions) This same behavior is seen again with Robin during Water 7 Even though Robin tries everything she can do to get Sanji to hate her and leave her be, he refuses because he believes Robin to be a good person who must have her reasons for acting this was and correctly assumes that she must be being backed into a corner somehow Sanji forgives a lot of women throughout the series who act in ways that would push most people away or most people would see as unforgivable because he recognizes that most women don't have a choice He recognizes that women, in general, are not treated equally to men and that as a result they don't have as much freedom or self agency as men in the world And I think that's something that Sanji can relate to I think he truly understand how it feels to not have control over what happens to you and what you can and can't do He grew up (partly) in Germa after all...

I think that Sanji sees women as strong and brave while still being gentle and kind And I think he truly hates how often they suffer oppression and mistreatment And this is a major contributing factor to his over the top nice treatment and pampering of women Sanji sees the unjust treatment of women around him - people he views as so naturally good and kind - and he wants nothing more than to be able to do something to stop that mistreatment and he does so by trying to protect them at all costs, including refusing to ever hit a woman A lot of people give Sanji shit for this character trait, but I think it's much more complicated than him seeing women as "weaker" than men I can't help but feel that it's more motivated by a refusal to add to a woman's suffering

I also think there's an interesting conversation to be had when it comes to Sanji and "feminism" compared to other characters like Zoro or Luffy It feels like a gag when Sanji gets pissed at Zoro for fighting women, but I think there's something there~ A perfect example is the first time Zoro fight Tashigi in Louguetown and Sanji gets SUPER pissed about it He accuses Zoro of being disrespectful of Tashigi as a woman because he's fighting her, but I think Zoro sees his choice to fight her as just the opposite And I think a lot of that has a lot to do with the women in their lives that shaped them For Zoro, one of the most important and influential people in his life growing up was Kuina And I truly think that her not only being a better swordsman than Zoro, but telling him about her dream and the fact that she didn't think that she'd ever be able to achieve it due to being a woman really affected him and the way he sees woman and how they should be treated Kuina was someone Zoro deeply respected and I think he hated that the world made her feel that she was inadequate and unable to achieve her dream just because of her biological sex I think this felt like a great injustice to Zoro and he wanted to prove her wrong So while Sanji sees fighting a woman as disrespectful, I think Zoro would see not fighting a woman as disrespectful and an insult to Kuina's memory (I could go on about Zoro meeting women as his equal is further supported by many fights he has, including his later refusal to "help" Tashigi during Punk Hazard, but that's a different rant for a different day lol)

In a similar way to Zoro, Luffy also treats women as complete equals He doesn't discriminate He just sees them as people, choosing to fight them when necessary, befriend them if he feels it's right, and never putting them above or below himself And just like with Zoro, Sanji had scolded Luffy multiple times for fighting women because Sanji just doesn't see it that way

And I think that all of this: Sanji putting women up on a pedestal, wanting to protect them, refusing to fight them, viewing them as both angelic, but also complex people all goes back to the influential women in Sanji's early life

Sanji, Sora, and Reiju

*I'm going to give a quick disclaimer at the top of this part because I literally just started Whole Cake, so most of my knowledge here comes from bits and pieces that I've learned/picked up about Sanji's backstory and family (I'm not someone who seeks out spoilers, but I exist on the internet and have obviously learned spoilers for Whole Cake and Sanji's backstory/family)

For Sanji, two of the most influential women in his early life were his mother and sister And I think that they had a great impact on how he views women in general

Sora was clearly one of the few people in Sanji's life in The Germa Kingdom who truly loved him She loved him from before he was born to the point that she risked her own life for him She went out of her way to encourage Sanji to be a kind and caring person and follow his dreams even though that was something that she would never get to do herself She was such a good a caring figure in Sanji's life and I truly think that she is the main reason why Sanji believes women to be naturally good and caring people Sanji sees his mother in all women even if it's to his own detriment

Reiju also had a very big and interesting impact on Sanji as a kid She was never anywhere near as kind to him as his mother, but she still reached out a had to him and was the most caring of all of his siblings Despite how she really felt about it, however, just like Sora, Reiju was trapped She was unable to escape her family or her upbringing, she was forced to become what was expected of her and to, at the vert least, assimilate into the family in order to survive And I think that it is because of Reiju that Sanji has the belief that women are complicated people He saw his sister, who was clearly a good person at heart, forced to act a certain way and abide behaviors she clearly did not agree with simply to protect herself She was forced to act and become what their father and brothers made her for her own safety She didn't have the strength or will to defy them, but despite all that she still found kindness for Sanji in her own way Reiju was far from perfect, but she did what she could manage and I think that meant a lot to Sanji and made him very aware of how often women are forced into a corner like his sister and mother were

And I truly think this is why in Dressrosa, Sanji is so willing to first help and then later forgive and continue helping Viola even after everything she does to him I think Sanji sees his sister in Viola and would do anything and endure anything to help a woman in such a terrible situation like that Yes, when Sanji first sees Viola and swoons over her, it feels like the "woman crazy" Sanji gag, but as things develop it's clear that Sanji very genuinely wants to help her He sees a woman who is clearly trapped and asking for help and he can't refuse her Then once she betrays him, he's still unwilling to believe that she isn't still trapped, he saw genuine good in her and a genuine call for help (just like he saw in his sister all those years back) and this time he can actual do something about it

So yes, while there are for sure some real moments where Sanji seems like he's just a little horny pervert when it comes to women, but I think there is a lot of evidence that that is not his real feelings toward women and more of an overplayed, and frankly out of hand, gag

Even if you look at moments like when Sanji is in Nami's body during Punk Hazard While yes, Sanji does initially have the pervert response of "Ohhh!!! Boobs!!" I think that the more notable moments are when he stops and considers how he needs to be careful in Nami's body (he's the only one involved in the body swaps that really does this too - rip Chopper, Franky really fucked him up lol) Despite his obvious anxiety, he refrains from smoking until Nami gives him permission He makes an effort not to get Nami's body injured in combat And even considers and how fighting in his normal way and using techniques that his body is accustom to would probably hurt Nami and tries to avoid it when possible (tho he does push Nami athletically to a degree that makes it clear that she's much more physically capable then I think even she realizes lol) I personally feel that the moments that Sanji is considerate and respectful of Nami's body far out weigh the moments when he's not (He's also far nicer to Nami's body than she is to his lol)

To summarize, I don't think that Sanji is just a pervert, I think Oda just thinks the pervert joke is funny~ There's much more evidence (especially during character defining moments for Sanji) that Sanji has a deep respect for women He appreciates their beauty and believes them to be good and kind All he wants is to be able to protect them, especially now that he is actually capable of doing so He understand the inequality, injustice, and oppression that a lot of women face and understands that in part due to all that, many women must act in ways that seem, on the surface, to be unforgivable He sees women as complex people who often times have to make difficult decisions for the good of themselves and others and Sanji gives them grace for that

[honeyxbee]

Can you please do a part 2 to losing game yandere L

Checkmate

Yandere!L x gn!reader

TW : captive reader, runaway attempt, manipulation(sorta?) words 1167 A/N: Okay, I may have gotten a little carried away lol. But I hope you enjoy! Find part 1 here!

It's frustrating how normal life as L's captive can feel sometimes.

Actually, no. It's infuriating.

Oh, you want to watch a movie? The television in the living room has almost every streaming service you could think of. Want to read a specific book? You just have to let Watari know if you can't find it in the library, and he will get it for you. Hell, you're even allowed to call your friends and family as long as L or Watari are there to supervise you. In a way, it's almost like you're just a normal girl living with your rich, genius boyfriend and his father.

Well, aside from the fact you're not allowed to leave.

"L mentioned that he would be back in time for dinner this evening," Watari's conversational tone brings you out of your thoughts, your eyes landing on the older man. He's holding out the steaming teacup for you to take. You accept it as you always do, watching him set out finger sandwiches and tiny pastries on the table.

"..Thanks," you murmur softly, taking a small sip of the hot beverage. You don't comment on L's return, choosing to shove down the feeling of unease that always seems to make itself known when thinking about him. He mentioned before that his current case requires him to work with others, so it's not abnormal that he's away for most of the day, though he's given you no further information as to what that even means.

Admittedly, the thought of him working with another person feels strange to you. When you applied to work with him, it was made very clear to you that he almost always worked alone. That you were a special case.

The thought sends a shiver up your spine, and your eyes quickly return to the window. One good thing about the sunroom is that it's easy to avoid conversation when you keep your eyes fixed on the flowers. Well, at least when it comes to Watari. He always seems to understand that it's a sign that you don't wish to speak, and he sits quietly.

L just seems to see it as a reason to ask a thousand questions ― oh, you like flowers? Have you always liked flowers? What's your favorite flower? Did you know that research shows that flowers have an immediate positive impact on mood and happiness?-

"Would you be okay here on your own while I go get ingredients for dinner?" Watari asks after a few minutes of silence, making you blink.

"..Huh?"

"I need to get some things from the store," Watari repeats, taking a drink of his tea. "Would you be okay here by yourself while I'm away? It should only be an hour, but if you don't think-"

"Yes!" you blurt out before realizing that you sound a little too excited. "I mean, yeah, I'll be okay," you correct yourself, forcing yourself to take another sip from your teacup.

Watari studies your face for a moment, clearly searching for any sign of apprehension. But when he finds none, he nods. "..Very well."

You try not to seem too eager as you watch him finish his tea and then take the cup to the kitchen, your thoughts racing. They're leaving you unattended. You're actually going to be alone.

"I shall return soon. Is there anything you wish me to grab for you while I'm out?" Watari asks as he heads to the door. When you shake your head no, he walks out, the door shutting softly behind him.

And then it's quiet.

For a few minutes, you don't move. You remain seated, sipping your tea as you wait for any signs of Watari's return. And then you set your cup on the table and slowly make your way to the closet for the shoes L bought you so you could visit the gardens.

You unlock the front door with shaky hands, opening it ever-so-slowly and looking around for any signs of life.

There's nothing.

So you slam the door shut, and you run.

You don't even know where you're running to. But you see some buildings in the distance, so you run in that direction. Your lungs protest at the unexpected sprint, and your heart feels like it may pound out of your chest, but you try to force yourself to ignore it and focus on the feeling of the fresh air. The heat of the sun on your skin. Freedom.

You had almost forgotten what that felt like.

You almost want to cry in relief when you get closer to the buildings; you realize you're in Tokyo.

You guess L isn't as intelligent as he thinks he is, you consider with a small triumphant smile. If he was truly a genius, he would have kept you somewhere isolated, right? Definitely not somewhere so close to the heart of Tokyo.

Now you just need to find some help ― a hospital, maybe.

Or the police station, you think, your heart rate picking up in excitement when you see there's one not too far up the street. You run the entire way there, not stopping until you're in front of the desk and you're sputtering out everything that's happened.

The police officer seems completely confused until you say 'L', and then his eyes widen. "Wait, L?"

"Yes! You know who I'm talking about, right?" you ask desperately.

He nods and asks for your name. You give it to him, and he escorts you to a private room in the back and asks you to wait there. And for the first time since you left L's house, you allow yourself to take a breath, the exhaustion hitting you full force. When he returns, he tells you that he has the chief's permission to escort you to the building they're working in.

You don't realize what he means by 'they' until you're already in the building.

And you want to scream. To cry. To curse whatever cruel deity that seems to enjoy your suffering.

"..Hello," L says, tilting his head at you from where he's seated at his computer; his lips twitched upwards in a barely noticeable smile.

The police officer who brought you to the building smiles, his eyes wide in amazement. "I can't believe you're actually dating someone, L!"

L's eyes remain fixed on your face in silent contemplation. And then speaks. "..Chief Yagami, it has been a while since my partner has helped with an investigation, but I assure you, they're quite talented. If you do not mind, I would like for them to join our efforts.

"I'm sure they will be a valuable addition to our investigation going forward," the older man agrees with a nod, a friendly smile on his face.

And you feel as if you are once again back at L's house, a familiar scene on the table between you. A lone king on an oversized chessboard, unable to do anything aside from awaiting your opponent's final blow.

Checkmate.

[astrylx]

Supernatural S.5 Ep.2 - Good God, Y'all! - Liveblog

Welcome back welcome back, let's get started liveblogging. This appears to be a somewhat Castiel centered episode based off of the episode summary, and that makes me happy because his character really intrigues me!

Dean is struggling with the idea of Bobby not being okay it seems. Which I can understand. It's never easy to deal with the struggles of a parental figure, and we've seen how everything with John impacted him. I can understand why he just wants everything to be okay.

The X-Rays of the ribs are really cool. Is it bad I kind of want a scene where when can see the actual ribs, not just the X-Ray of them? Like, one of the brothers gets their chest carved open? I just really want to look at those ribs and study them...

Cas is cut off from Heaven. That's what I expected after what happened with the archangel. I do feel bad for Bobby though, because I know he was counting on Cas being able to heal him.

"I'm gonna find God." That's. Yea. Maybe some people on tumblr need to take one from you and do that too (I SAY JOKINGLY)

Seriously though, you know how a few posts ago I said moments in this show make me feel sacrilegious? That's the start of one. Not that I can't watch religion based shows, or shows that satirize and criticize elements of religion, but sometimes there are moments they make me, as a pretty religious person, feel like I'm doing something wrong.

Castiel not understanding sarcasm, I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE-

Watching Castiel lose his faith, have to kill his brothers, only for Dean to criticize his desperation, oh Castiel you are a stronger man than I am, Dean would be on the FLOOR by now.

"I did all of it for you" I know what you are I know what you are I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE

The necklace Sam gave Dean is basically a God metal detector? I love that- I knew it was going to be relevant. I'm honestly surprised he's giving it away so willingly.

ELLEN!! I missed her. Very glad to see her again. She seems mad at them. Does she know? Does she know they started the apocalypse? Oh never mind, she was holding it safe because they were outside.

Dean doesn't trust Sam... That's what this is about. Ouch.

Demon blood... I fear this won't end well. It's not that I don't trust Sam or believe in his strength but... Please don't do it, it's not worth it. Please, Sam. The scene is done really well though. I can see the distrust in Dean's eyes. I don't like seeing that look.

To Dean, Sam shoving him was basically proving his point... Ouch I don't like these episodes, I don't like what they're doing to me. I don't like seeing Sam and Dean fighting.

Wait I'm confused. Jo's eyes are black but she seems to think Ellen is possessed?

Sam is kidnapped. Why do I get a feeling they're going to uh... donate some blood, so to speak...

Wait what? I'm actually very confused right now. They seem to think that Sam and Ellen are demons, but are they not demons themselves? What is happening?

Oh I get it. Someone/something is manipulating the situation. Making them think the other is/are demons. I'm wondering about this dude.

The four horsemen- That makes sense that makes sense! I'm a little disappointed I didn't get it to begin with...

The horseman toying with Sam, calling him out on how he wants blood. Jared's eyes are so emotional in this scene, I normally hate eye contact but I'm actually struggling to look away. The slight tremble in his facial muscles, I always adore this kind of acting and Jared is doing it so well.

Okay so they cut his fingers off and got the ring, where did War go? How do they destroy it.

OH IS SAM COMING CLEAN? He is- Oh Sam...

No- No this can't be the end- They can't be separating- No- I hate this-

Fuck. I was expecting a Castiel episode and instead all I got was an emotional wreck. This fucking sucks.

I don't know if I can handle this season, this is hurting my feelers.

[coffeegnomee]

Sorta related to your last post and it goes without saying, but who you watch on Lifesteal makes so much difference on what you want to happen. I was watching Lifesteal back in s3 but only from Rek’s vids and occasionally a Branzy or Clown vid too (notably funhouse and casino stuff), but since Rek wasn’t huge into lore it was just another thing I watched, kinda comparable to a very competitive hermitcraft. The video that my perspective has changed on the most since then was easily Rek’s cleansing video. Even back then, Rek was very compelling when watching him and even after the bit where he was like “they got everyone back to 10 yipeee” I was dead set that the cleansers were power hungry lunatics, and it was only when I started watching again last year I realized how much more was going on. The same thing happened with his abyss arc video, which I watched before watching all Zams abyss + Joker VODS and I thought Jumper was so justified in the betrayal, then watched the VODs and flipped sides completely ( no way Imissabyssarc likes the abyss??). In s6, I can barely watch videos framing Zam as awful (coughcoughflamefragscoughcough) since I know how much they’re twisting everything thanks to the streams. It makes me wonder if I’d feel more supportive of Jumper if she had VODs conveying everything, since as you said, it makes one of the biggest differences between Abyss and Eclipse. Sorry for rambling I’ll stop now ;-;

oooh I love this! Classic Rek being the gateway and then realizing there's so much more. I love that you thought the cleansers were power hungry lunatics lol. I barely have a memory from that even though Rek's cleansing video was The Gateway for me. I needed to know more about the conflicts.

And that is soo interesting about Jumper and kind of what I was really wondering with that post - like those who found ls through her video (and others on the arc) and how they thought about her betrayal because of just seeing the condensed yt video of the story. And also how that's so similar to just watching Spoke's wormhole video and how I defend his betrayal even though it was messed up.

What would it really be like to have access to all those recordings and actually see both his and Parrot's thoughts and reactions in full? What would it have been like to not have Abyss pov at all? Cause like, my post literally sprang from watching the new Rejoice strengthsmp video and Mane's bizzaresmp video and being like wow what was everyone else thinking when this happened. I have literally no idea if they streamed it or not but it doesn't matter bc im not going to watch the streams even if they had it, I'm just a casual viewer. So like, suspicion confirmed that if you watched Jumper's video you would have thought she was in the right. Because that's all you got. So normal, right? We just trust the yter.

But man, what would it have been like for Jumper to stream everything and talk about how messed up all the things were that Abyss wanted her to do and her in-real-time reaction to luring 4c or killing Vitalasy. How those moments motivated her and drove her closer to Minute. You start to see it a bit after they loose the presidency. Not that Jumper is particularly good at articulating her thoughts, literally never had to until jokerzam started putting her on the spot, but that doesn't really matter. Chat would have asked, or she would have said it to Minute and explained more. Honestly chat asking questions would have been so much of it lol. Nothing like a lore loving chat to draw out your character motivations.

But as it stands we just have the post-arc reasons, which sound weak and thrown together (incidentally the same criticism thrown at abyss by Ash) But that's because we weren't there. And articulating anything after the fact isnt the same. It's so interesting. I need to stop rambling in return lol but like it shows how s5's overarching theme was about that difference in making a youtube video and being a streamer and it came out in the abyss arc and then really came out in the finale when pb&j didn't want to stream their plans and wanted to get good recordings (antitrapbox my beloved) vs mapicc/zam wanting daily content to get on and do things and fight.

[beaniebaneenie]

Look, the problem with this take is that even though you "just want to write fanfic where my blorbos make out sloppy style"?

There are going to be antis who think YOUR fic is somehow immoral. Are those blorbos the same gender? Well, how could you be introducing that to kids! Does the makeout eventually lead to sex? There are children online, you know! Is there an age gap (even just a few years)? How dare you normalize grooming! People will find any reason to ban something they don't like, especially with the prevailing belief that if you don't like something, there has to be some kind of Legitimate Moral Reason™️.

Fuck, "The Cat in the Hat" is on the banned books list. Really. It's banned because the children go the whole book without adult supervision and are taught that it's fun to listen to strangers at the door! And the poor fish, who is just trying to keep the kids safe and be responsible, is shown as the villain.... How can we be allowing children to read this!

For real, I'm not kidding. That's the reason it's banned.

There is always gonna be someone who finds a reason to hate what you write and willing to find a reason why it too should be censored.

As someone who lived through "Strikethrough" and is old enough to have posted shit on LJ, when you let people start censoring things and unilaterally deciding what is objectionable and why? The goalposts will always move and the nets will always catch more things than you want.

Also, those "disgusting perverted things" can be important and have far-reaching, genuinely good consequences.

I had a straight guy friend in college- grew up in a very conservative, anti-feminist house... but knew something wasn't adding up and went to a liberal quaker college, and was trying to undo a lot of the junk in his brain that was lodged deep in his subconscious.

For an English Lit course, he read Lolita.

He was disgusted with the protagonist. (Good, he's on the right track, you're supposed to be.) He and I were having a conversation about "the way this pervert talks about her"... and I gently pointed out that a lot of guys use those exact same phrases and mentality about the women they're interested in, who are adults... and end up making those adult women feel just as unsafe around those men.

That book helped him realize that looking at women like objects, like things men deserve, and the mindset that men can think about women in whatever way they choose and it's somehow "women's fault" if they get creeped out? Was a bad way to live, and a harmful philosophy to have. It also taught him that you cannot recognize a pedophile or harmful person on sight- that when a woman accused someone he knew of a horrible crime, the fact that "he's always seemed great to me" is utterly irrelevant. Reading Lolita made Nick a more compassionate, safer guy to be around.

Sometimes we need things that make us feel uncomfortable, or even grossed out.

By the way, there will always be people who find your fic about "blorbos making out sloppy style" somehow perverted, disgusting, and toxic. I once had someone tell me a very wholesome coffeeshop AU ficlet (where the worst thing that happened was someone's order getting mixed up) was "toxically positive" and "hella problematic" because it "intentionally ignored the serious themes the original show writer was trying to shed light on, and took these characters out of their very real problems and washed over all those social issues, just so you can see them kiss."

The attitudes described in this "Fandom Problem" are the most extreme on either side of the pro/anti spectrum.

Except the problem with this take is that for the proship side, the attitude of "you cannot criticize media ever" is a very very small minority; whereas for antis, it's essentially the entire group's publicly declared stance. (I've literally seen "Standard DNI" on some blogs, which means these people don't even know what they're supposed to be against, they're just so intensely afraid of not being against the 'right' things that they've tried to cover their ass so they won't be the next target of the mob.)

Most proship folks are 1000% here for media critique, for "critically consuming" media, for being allowed to dislike something for no damn reason. It's the "I don't like this, therefore it Must Be Morally Wrong" fuckery we object to.

I've had books I didn't like because the ending sucked, movies that bored me half to death, shows I just didn't vibe with... and media that I loved bits of and vehemently disagreed with other bits of.

"Law & Order: SVU" has had a massive cultural impact in bringing ideas like 'rape culture', victim blaming, and the difficulty rape victims face when attempting to report the crime into the public eye and mainstream conversations. It is also copaganda, because the cops are almost always shown as kind, compassionate people who always work hard for their victims, never break the law unless it's to get the Bad Guys, always believe their victims, claim that only Bad People ask for a lawyer (despite it being a constitutionally protected right), and the in-universe system puts away the rapist almost every time.

These are statements are both 100% true, and are an example of critically engaging with media.

There was a popular webcomic a few years ago that had some characters I LOVED (and still do), did some amazing things for its time, and had a lot of genuinely progressive things.

It also fell into some really unhealthy tropes, like "Out = Happy, Closeted = Bad/Wrong", the racist and sexist "Dragon Lady" trope of a small Asian woman being visually unassuming but somehow a Total Badass™️ who is actually better than all the guys at Guy Things and all the big strong men are scared of, not-great Jewish representation, and background POC only there to prop up the cis white male lead.

Most proship people actually WANT you to engage with media critically. To be able to have your proverbial thinking cap on while enjoying your blorbos, to understand that creators aren't perfect, no matter how progressive they are. It's those conversations around media- what did it do well, what could it have done better, what should it never do again- that make for better art.

The proshippers who claim that anyone criticizing media is a nazi? Very small and absolutely a minority.

The antis who harass people (including telling them to commit suicide) for literally anything that doesn't match their current definition of Morally Acceptable? The vast majority. It is a stance with a foundation built on harassment.

Even in this very take, the OP has beef with proshippers and infers that they're pedophiles, because proshippers claim that "if you ever criticize media for any reason that makes you a nazi, and that includes media that sexualizes children." OP has the belief that proshippers are bad, because they allow media that Sexualizes Children to exist.

...do you know how many abuse/trauma/Childhood Sexual Assault survivor groups were also banned during the Strikethrough and Boldthrough crackdowns? A lot. Virtually every single one.

Sometimes people write things that you might find disturbing, perverted, creepy, or deviant in order to process their own trauma. Sometimes people write to explore a dark theme or fantasy in a safe way, where no one is getting hurt and no crimes are committed. No one should have to out their history or disclose their trauma in order for you to feel better about what they wrote and why they wrote it.

They should tag it appropriately, so that anyone who is squicked or triggered by the material can make an accurate decision about whether to engage with the work, and can give informed consent to experience it.

Movie ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) are a very basic form of tagging. They tell the potential audience which age groups the film is generally appropriate for, and if it's not considered appropriate, it lists why (swearing, violence, gore, sex, etc).

Remember when parents were taking little kids to see Deadpool and getting upset because "no one warned them"? And people were like, "uh, we very much did warn you, that film was rated R for a reason"? That's tagging.

Tag your stories. Engage critically with media. It is possible to have mixed feelings about a book or show. How you create art does not have a direct correlation to your moral stance as a human being. Sometimes you dislike something for no damn reason and that's okay and very much allowed. These are the values of proshippers.

Antis are steeped in harassment, bullying, and cruelty- as well as actual censorship that has been proven to negatively impact communities, especially those of the marginalized and those impacted by trauma and abuse.

Being "neutral" is a privilege, but it's a privilege with an expiration date. Because as long as we allow people to say that what media you consume/create dictates your Moral Standing? Eventually, someone will decide that your blorbos making out sloppy style is indicative of Something Bad™️, and they're gonna come for your work too.

Fandom Problem #7610:

"Neutral shippers are just proshippers in denial" "neutral is the proship stance" "you're either proshipper or anti, you can't be neutral"

I'm shipping neutral because I think this whole discourse is stupid and both sides are terrible. You have the "this children's show is problematic because this ship is vaguely toxic so you're literally an abusive monster if you watch it" and the "if you ever criticize media for any reason you're literally a nazi and that includes media that sexualizes children." Most reasonable people don't fall into either category. Stop trying to drag me to your side or the other. I just want to write fanfic where my blorbos make out sloppy style.

[respectthepetty]

My plan is to ignore the colors in Kiseki: Dear to Me until they go away.

That won't be difficult. I can just, like, unsee them!

I don't see anything at all.

I see nothing.

I DON'T SEE THEM!

I'm okay. I'm fine.

Ze Rui is only wearing a shirt with that famous Chuck Palahniuk quote: The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will

Cool.

Cool.

Cool, cool, cool.

I'm gonna be so normal about this show.